Our Little One
by Hopeakaarme
Summary: COMPLETE. Remus and Lucius have adopted a 15-year-old girl, Olivia, who can't do magic. Not everyone likes the fact that the Malfoys are having a happy family - and somebody decides to change it. SLASH RLLM, SSSB, HPDM
1. Olivia

Our little one

Author: Eleonora1

A/N: This story is an OotP AU. Fic takes place 5 years after Harry and the others graduating from Hogwarts.

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns most of the characters and all things "Harry Potter." I own the plot, Olivia and any new stuff not previously mentioned in the books.

WARNINGS: AU - Alternate Universe. Contains SLASH (Lucius/Remus, Harry/Draco, Sirius/Severus). Some Out Of Canonness from Lucius, Severus, Draco, Narcissa, Hermione, and various Weasleys. Lots of original characters. Future MPREG on unexpected characters/pairings. Possibly unsatisfying theories, explanations, and motives. Un-canon-y relationships and family ties. Don't like, don't read. 'S so simple.

(Bad experiences with reviewers? Moi?)

* * *

..Our little one.. 

Chapter One

Olivia

* * *

This part of the chapter is from Lucius Malfoy's point of view.

* * *

We look at the young girl in front of us. The story the nurse told about her life is still going around in our minds. We've made our decision, and we can only hope that she can accept us as well. 

"You are Olivia, aren't you?" I ask. She startles, and takes a step backwards. She looks totally terrified, like I had threatened her.

Then she seems to calm down. "Yes, I am," she replies. "Who are you?" She still looks very scared.

"These gentlemen are interested in adopting you, Olivia," the nurse says, placing a soothing hand on the girl's shoulder. "They aren't going to hurt you in any way."

I feel Remus's hand trembling in my own. I understand him well. This is horrible simply horrible. No one should be afraid like that especially not anyone at her age. "We aren't going to hurt you, Olivia," I explain. "We'd never hurt you. We only want to know if you'd like to have a home."

"Who are you?" she asks again. Then, a little bit cautiously, "Are you married?"

I force myself to smile a little bit. "Yes, we are married," I tell her. "My name is Lucius Malfoy. This is my husband, Remus Lupin Malfoy."

"We'd like to adopt you," Remus tells her again. "We want to give you a home."

"Give me a home?" she asks. "Why would anyone want to take me to their home? I can't even cast proper spells." She still looks very cautious, but at least she's not as afraid as before. Good sign. At least I hope it's a good sign.

"That doesn't matter," I tell her firmly. "We couldn't care less about whether you can use magic or not. And you are good at Potions, are you?" Of course I know that she is that. The nurse has told that she's been brewing different potions every day since she learned her first one.

"I I guess so." She looks at us, looking very doubtful. "But why would anyone want me? All people want little children. Little girls, who play with dolls and love princess dresses and want a nice pink room. You looked at the younger girls at first I saw it."

I feel a little bit guilty. She's right. We were thinking about taking a younger girl, right. But now, the more I think about it, the more I find it impossible to us. I wouldn't be able to handle a little child. "You see, we " I begin, but I get interrupted.

"We were looking at the younger ones, because we didn't know that there were any older," Remus tells her. "We only wanted a child, and we thought that there weren't any older. I know that it would be possible for me to handle a little girl, but I don't think that Lucius would find it as easy." He gives me a teasing smile. "I looked at him while this morning, and I noticed that we can't take a little girl like we had thought. An older one, though, would be very good just like you."

"My only son left home five years ago," I tell her. "I didn't think I'd miss him, but now I've come to notice that I do. We see him very often, of course, but our home is now very quiet. We want someone to read the books in the libraries again. Someone to once again explore the gardens, to annoy the house-elves, to look at the fish in the aquariums, to walk in the corridors, to live in the rooms."

"Not to mention someone to again worry about boys," Remus says with a smile, "and to wear the family jewellery, and to amaze people in parties. And, of course, someone we could buy new jewellery and clothes and stuff to."

She looks at us, a little bit doubtful. Then a little smirk begins to play in the corners of her lips. "'Worry about boys'?" she echoes softly. "You mean that your son worried about boys?"

"Why, of course," I reply, smiling. "Or, if you aren't sure, you should maybe ask his boyfriend. I'm sure he could answer your question."

She smiles a little bit. Then the smile fades away. "I still can't imagine why anyone would want me," she says. "I'm not good at magic, nor am I beautiful I'm not even cute like the younger girls. I'm not happy and smiling, and I'm scared of nearly everyone. And I'm shy and quiet, and not intelligent."

"I don't think so," I reply. "As we said, we couldn't care less about whether you're good at magic or not. You're good at Potions, and only very intelligent ones are. And you will be beautiful. We want to make you happy and smiling, and we want to make sure that you don't have to be scared or shy or quiet any more."

She stares at me. Then she says, with a very quiet voice, "You can't be serious." Nothing more, only one simple sentence. And that sentence is enough to tell how terrible her past has been.

"But we are." Remus squeezes my hand tightly while talking to her. "Lucius said it just like it is. We want to give you a real home, Olivia. The only thing we don't know is if you want a home." He gives her a little smile before asking, "Do you?"

She's silent for a while. A very long while. We all wait for an answer from her.

Then, at last, she speaks. "I do," is all she says.

She doesn't have to say anything more.

"When can we come to fetch her?" I ask from the nurse.

"Well, it's usually at least few days," she begins. "You know, all the bureaucracy and the like. And when she's older than usually, it's "

"We'll return tomorrow," I interrupt her. "Is that soon enough?"

"But I can't " she tries to say, but I interrupt her once again.

"Tomorrow, you said. Right?"

She opens her mouth, but closes it then. She nods, and says then, "Tomorrow. Right, Mr. Malfoy."

"This is the first thing you should learn," I say to Olivia, smirking a bit. "When we adopt you, you'll become a Malfoy. And a Malfoy always gets what he or she wants. Never accept a negative answer."

She looks confused at first, but then she begins to smile. It's not a big smile, and it fades soon, but it's a smile, and very pretty one. "I'll try to remember that," she whispers.

"Good. We'll come back tomorrow. Pack your stuff and prepare for moving to the Malfoy Manor. What's your favourite colour?"

"Err... What?" she asks, totally confused because of my sudden change of subject.

"What's your favourite colour? We have to prepare a room for you. And I bet that Remus would love to buy some clothes for you. Would you?" I ask then, looking at my husband. He smiles and nods. He's not as obsessive as Draco who could be? but he loves shopping. Especially shopping for clothes.

"Umm... Green," she replies. "Green, and sometimes silver, or blue or black." Then she smiles again, that slow-coming and fast-going, pretty smile. "But I don't think that the colour helps you to pick up clothes of the right size."

"You're right," Remus laughs. "Lucius isn't very aware of those things. Most of his clothes are tailored especially for him, so he doesn't have to care about the size. But if you have some clothes that fit you perfectly, I'd like to have a look at them to see what's your size."

"Are you really serious?" she asks, still doubtful. "Why would anyone want to buy anything for me? Isn't that only waste of money? I already have some clothes not maybe many and not very pretty, but clothes."

"Are you serious yourself?" Remus asks as a reply. "You're going to be our daughter. We want to give you pretty clothes and stuff. We want you to look as beautiful as you only can, and we want you to be happy." He smiles a bit. "Could you now show me those clothes?"

"I guess I could." The two walk away, Olivia showing the way. She still looks very shy and cautious, but at least she's talking with Remus. It's not a big surprise nearly everyone seems to like Remus. I don't wonder that; he's simply the best person in the whole wide world.

"That's a miracle," the nurse says, when they're out from the sight. She sounds impressed.

"What's a miracle?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "That someone wants to adopt her?"

"No that she smiled. And many times. We've counted every time, and it hasn't been very difficult. After she came here, she's smiled two times. One of them was at Christmas, when the little children presented a play they were awfully cute, I admit that. And another time was when our youngest child, a two-month-old little girl, got adopted."

"Two times?" I echo. "It's really about the time then! If she smiles twice as much in a moment with us than in a year here, I think that we can maybe make her happy."

"I hope so," the nurse says. "But I must warn you - it won't be easy." With that she turns around and walks away.

I stare after her. Then I shrug, turn to the direction where I saw my husband and soon-to-be-daughter going, and walk away as well.

* * *

"I I don't know what to say." Olivia stands in the doorway of her room and stares around it.

"I take that as a sign that you like this," I say, glancing sideways to Remus and smirking. "Remus really did wonderful work, if you ask me."

"That's that's just incredible." She takes some steps inside the room and looks once again around her.

I follow her gaze around the room. I must admit that Remus and the house-elves did really good work with it. The walls are light, silvery grey pretty different from the original dark grey, it was so dark that it was nearly black. There is a big four-poster bed with forest-green curtains and beddings in the other end of the room. It's the same colour as the large, fluffy carpet covering the cold stone floor. A little bit from it stands the wardrobe, made of leaf-green wood with some engravings; the dressing table is in another corner, opposite to the bed, and it's coloured with a bluish green shade that reminds me of the sea. On the other end of the room I see a big, soft green desk, accompanied with a chair of the same colour. The curtains of large windows are green, and they're tied on the sides with chains of pure silver well, that's clearly the house-elves' doing, as Remus couldn't do that himself. There are silver and green candles in candlesticks all over the room, and I can see one big wall hanging - it's green and silver, and it has the Malfoy crest in it, as well as the cover of the bed.

She places her little suitcase on the floor and walks a little bit forward again. She still looks all around her like she didn't believe this to be true.

"Go and look inside the wardrobe," I urge her. "Remus did some shopping yesterday, and there are also some dresses in Malfoy colours my ex-wife left behind when we had a divorce."

She walks cautiously to the other end of the room. I and Remus follow her, some steps behind her. She opens the doors of the wardrobe. And stares.

"Do you like them?" Remus asks, carefully.

"I I adore them." She hastily fingers the dresses, shirts, trousers and skirts, all in good order. Then she takes one shirt it's pale green, with some black snake-figures in the sleeves. "This is this is beautiful. Absolutely."

"Thanks," Remus says, grinning. He walks forward and stops standing next to Olivia. She takes some steps backwards, looking startled. Remus, however, doesn't seem to notice. "Look at this one," he urges, taking out a long, misty green dress. "This wasn't ever Narcissa's Lucius's ex-wife's. It has been in Malfoy family for centuries. It's a tradition that every daughter of Malfoy family wears this for their sixteenth birthday, and of course also after that. It's yours now."

She takes the dress from Remus's hands and looks at it for very long time. It's beautiful, for anything that I know about women's clothes which is not that much. I've seen a painting of my grandmother in that dress on her sixteenth birthday. It's the only picture where Grandmother looks actually beautiful, and it's all because of the dress.

At last she speaks. "This is wonderful," she whispers. "And and you say that I can wear this on my birthday?" She looks up at both me and Remus. "You can't be serious."

"Not only you _can_ wear it, but you absolutely _have_ to," I tell her, smirking slightly. "And honestly, Olivia, if you once more doubt if we're serious or not, do please remember that we've already adopted you. We wouldn't have done that if we weren't grave serious about this whole thing."

"Sorry about him," Remus says to her, winking and motioning towards me. "He never thinks before he speaks." He carefully takes the dress from her hands and places it back into the wardrobe. "But there's one thing I'd like to show you and it has nothing to do with me. It's completely from Lucius."

She looks curious as she follows Remus to the dressing table. She takes a fast glance over it. I do also. I see all the hair brushes, ribbons, perfume bottles, hair pins and other stuff laid there in a good order. Remus really doesn't left anything undone.

I see also a little box. It's pure silver, and I know it's covered with green velvet from the inside. "Can I put my jewellery inside that?" she asks shyly.

Remus laughs. "Of course you can it's yours," he replies. "But look inside it at first. That's the thing that Lucius did."

She does so. I hear her surprised gasp and grin a little bit. I'm not surprised. I kind of expected that kind of reaction.

She stares at the jewellery in front of her. It's mostly silver and emeralds, but also some golden stuff and other jewels, like sapphires, or obsidian. Necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets anything a young girl could ever want. "But what are all these " She isn't able to finish her sentence.

"The Malfoy jewellery," I tell her. "It's gone down in my family for generations after generations. It's all yours now. I and Remus don't care very much about women's jewellery, as you can maybe imagine, and Draco doesn't, either. So, as our adopted daughter and therefore a Malfoy, you get them all."

"That's that's impossible." She closes the box and turns around. "How can I ever repay you all this?" she asks, simply stunned.

"You don't have to," I say, snapping my tongue inwardly. She's so uncertain and surprised about everything! "As I said, you are our daughter. We want only the best for you. The biggest thing you could do for us is to wear those clothes and jewellery they aren't meant only for parties. My mother wore a full ball dress every single day in her life, and no one ever wondered about it. If you're a Malfoy, you can't overdress even less, if you're in the Malfoy Manor."

She smiles a bit. I once again adore her slow-coming, fast-fading smile. It still fades away almost immediately, but it stays on her lips a bit longer than ever before I've seen it.

I'm going to make her smiling always.

* * *

This part of the chapter is from Olivia's POV.

* * *

I see the men who are coming nearer to me, and I'm terrified. I'm only fourteen, and I don't want to die yet. And I know that I'm going to die if they get me.

One of them comes nearer. He raises his hand, trying to touch me. I take a step backwards to avoid him. He follows me, as well as all his companions.

The sleeve of his shirt falls down when he reaches out towards me. I see a tattoo on his forearm: a green skull, with a snake going through it. It's disgusting. These men are disgusting. I want to run away, but I can't move.

He grasps my wrist, and I scream. I try to struggle against him, but I'm only a young girl, and he's an adult man. I see the other men gathering around us, laughing, when he starts to pull me nearer...

And I scream.

* * *

"Olivia!" I hear someone saying. "Olivia, wake up! Olivia!"

When I hear the voice, I stop screaming, although I still can't stop myself from crying and sobbing. I'm totally horrified. I don't exactly know why so, but the nightmare almost scared me to death. It was it was simply terrifying.

"Calm down, Olivia," the voice continues to soothe me down. "Nothing or nobody is going to hurt you. Everything is all right. Calm down now."

I open my eyes to see the speaker. No one has ever talked to me like that before. Well, maybe my mother, when I was just a kid, but that's a long time ago. At least it feels like a long time. Probably forever, if you ask me.

I see a man about my father's age sitting on the edge of my bed. He has chin-length, shiny hair. I can't tell what colour it is in the light of the moon and candles it looks half white, half golden. His eyes are nice he looks like he's worried about me. I try to figure who he is, and what he's doing here.

I blink. What am I actually doing here myself? This isn't my room, not the one at home or the one they gave me in the orphanage. It looks like I've come to the Heaven there is so much space, and everything is so luxurious. Or maybe I'm still asleep, and having a pleasant dream instead of a nightmare?

That can't be possible. I've only had nightmares forever now.

Then I remember everything. The man in front of me is Remus, and this is my room. My new room. In the Malfoy Manor. And Remus is my new father, well, one of them. He actually does care about me or at least that's what he's been telling me.

"Re-Remus," I sob. "I I had a nightmare." I know this sounds stupid. It has to sound stupid. For most of my life I've been told that nightmares don't matter at all. Or that's what I've figured out no one has ever cared if I've had a nightmare. So they can't be that important, then.

"What kind of nightmare?" he asks, softly. "Do you want to talk about it?" He places a hand on the cover of my bed, leaning towards me. He looks like he really cares. I'm confused. No one ever cares about me. Not even the nurses in the orphanage, they had enough work with the little children. No one has ever had time for me.

"There there were some men," I explain, trying to not sound childish or stupid. I don't want Remus to think that I'm stupid. For some odd reason, I want him to like me no matter how improbable that is, looking at the people in my past. "One of them grasped my wrist and it was scary. I don't know why. It just it just was."

He merely nods. "Don't think about it anymore," he advises kindly. "Forget about it." He stands up and looks down at me. "Fancy some hot chocolate?" he asks, smiling a bit.

"What? Oh, yeah I'd love it." I'm very surprised. I've never been allowed to eat or drink anything in the middle of night. I've done it sometimes, of course, when I've been awake very late, but I've never been _allowed_ to do it. Leave alone that someone would actually suggest it to me, least of all an adult.

I get up from the bed. I'm only wearing a thin nightshirt, and the stone floor is very cold under my feet. Fortunately, I found green, flurry slippers next to my bed and put my feet into them. They are very warm, and I feel a little bit better.

"Take this, too." Remus reaches out a morning gown for me. It's green as well, made of soft velvet that feels lovely against the skin of my hands. The sleeves are long, but it isn't too large for me; that's the way they're meant to be. Or at least I figure so, because the morning gown seems to otherwise fit me very well. The belt is silver, and all the edges are lined with the same colour.

He looks at me when I tie the belt on a loose knot. "Follow me," he says then. "This way."

I walk after him. We go through a long corridor that seems to continue forever. Fortunately, it doesn't. At last we turn to left and come to another corridor. It isn't long, and in the end of it we find a small wooden door. Remus opens it, and we step into the kitchen.

Compared to the dining room I saw earlier today it isn't very large. Compared to any other kitchen I've ever seen it's huge. It looks more like a smaller dining room, especially because there isn't an oven or anything there. All the cooking stuff is seemingly in the room next to this one at least that's where all the house-elves are, looking through the open door at us.

There's already a man in the kitchen. I startle and take a step backwards before I realize it's Lucius. Lucius. Another one of my fathers. No reason to be scared.

He looks at us and smiles. He gestures to the chairs opposite to him. "Good morning," he says as we sit down around the huge table. "Or maybe good night would be a better choice?" Then he notices the worried look on Remus's face and becomes serious. "What's wrong, Remy?" he asks gently, then turns towards me. "Did you have a nightmare?"

I merely nod. "There... there were men in the dream," I explain then. "They looked evil... And one of them... he had some kind of a tattoo in his forearm. A skull and a snake, I think. They were very scary, and they came nearer..." My voice fades off. I don't want to think about it.

He nods and looks very thoughtful. Then he asks, "What did the tattoo look like?" I open my mouth to answer, but he interrupts by raising his hand and continuing, "Was it like this?" Then he rolls up the left sleeve of his black robe.

I gasp and am near to fainting. In the forearm of my new father is a tattoo, exactly similar to the one in my dream. It looks even more threatening now, when it's real, and so near to me. "But... how..." I manage.

"It's the Dark Mark, Olivia," he says, letting the sleeve fall down again. "Every Death Eater has one of these. Death Eaters are Dark wizards, and they're always trying to hurt people." His expression darkens for a moment. Then he continues, "I'm not one anymore. But I used to be. I'm not proud of it; I regret every single moment I've ever spent being a Death Eater. Even when I was spying for the Light Side, I felt sick every time in our _their_ meetings. But unlike other former Death Eaters, I don't try to hide my Mark."

"Don't criticize", Remus snaps. "Severus doesn't hide it anymore. And even when he did, he had a good reason how could a teacher of Hogwarts walk around with a Dark Mark when no one knew that he was a spy like you?"

"True," Lucius says, a little dry smile on his lips. "And I don't say that I'd been running around yelling, 'I have a Dark Mark! I have a Dark Mark!' or something equally stupid. But Severus is still a bit cautious about it, you have to admit that." Then his smile becomes softer, and he glances kindly at me. "But this is not the right time nor place for a conversation like this. Let's get some hot chocolate and forget it all for a while, shall we?"

I nod. "Exactly," I reply. "Let's forget it."

Just forget...

* * *

A/N: The next chapter: **First Meeting**

Harry and Draco receive a letter, and they visit Remus and Lucius. Also, they meet Olivia.


	2. First Meeting

Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to **Airiel**.

Chapter revised.

WARNING: Contains SLASH (Harry/Draco, Lucius/Remus). If you don't like it, nothing forces you to read this.

* * *

..Our little one. . 

Chapter Two

First Meeting

* * *

This chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

* * *

Harry Potter sat in the kitchen, absentmindedly sipping tea. He wasn't thinking about anything particularly, just sat there, enjoying the silence of a lazy Sunday morning.

He heard the door opening and looked towards the person who was coming in. Of course, he wasn't surprised to see who it was. "Fancy some tea?" he asked, grinning. "I made enough for you as well."

Draco Malfoy, his boyfriend for several years now, laughed and sat down opposite to him. "You should know by now that I never drink tea," he teased Harry. "You're like a teenager girl. Would you like some hot chocolate instead?"

Harry chuckled. "Oh, yes," he said with a smirk. "And that's very manly and adult-like stuff to drink, isn't it?"

"I never said that." Draco grinned and placed his hand on top of Harry's. "I only told you that tea isn't."

Harry smiled to his lover, who returned the smile. For some time they only sat there without saying anything. They often had moments like that - when everything was just right, and nothing had to be said. They were the moments Harry liked most.

Suddenly, a big, brown falcon owl flew inside. It dropped a parchment scroll in front of them and flew away without even stopping.

"That's from father." Draco smiled knowingly and reached out his hand to take the letter. "No one else ties their letters with black ribbon."

"Read it. I want to hear what they're now up to," Harry smiled. He liked Draco's father very much nowadays - especially after Lucius had married Remus. After finding out his position as a spy of Dumbledore in their sixth year, he had looked at Lucius Malfoy with wholly new eyes. And, most of the time, he liked what he saw.

"It's adressed to you," Draco said, looking surprised. It wasn't a wonder that he was surprised - Lucius usually adressed his letters to his son, even when they were written to them both. It was an old habit he didn't even try to get rid of. "Do you want to read this first yourself, Harry?"

"What?" Harry looked up from his tea cup. "Oh, no. Read ahead. You know very well that I keep nothing in secret from you." He continued drinking his tea while Draco unfolded the parchment and began to read it. He himself sank deep in thoughts that had distracted him pretty long time. Thoughts that he didn't want Draco to know - at least not yet.

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted. "They've managed at last!" Draco exclaimed, sounding excited. "Do you hear, Harry? They've adopted a girl!"

"Who?" Harry asked. "Lucius and Remus?" His question wasn't very clever, as he noticed right after it had left his mouth, but he had been in his thoughts and Draco had surprised him. Then again, Draco surprised him all the time. He should have been used to it - if one can get used to being surprised.

"Of course," Draco replied, rolling his eyes. "Who else? Mother and Ginny Weasley?" He waved the letter in the air. "It was two days ago - at least that's what father says in this letter. Guess how old she is?"

"Umm... Five?" Harry said. "At least that was what they were thinking, wasn't it?"

"Near enough," Draco said with a michievious grin. "You only missed it by one."

"Four, then? Or six?"

"Nah." Draco grinned even more. "You should put that 'one' in front of the 'five'. She's fifteen, love. Called Olivia."

Harry coughed. "Fifteen?" he echoed, not really believing what he heard. "You aren't serious! I mean - just imagine it! Lucius Malfoy in the same house with a teenager girl? Never. Never ever."

"Well, that's what they say in the letter," Draco smiled. "Read it yourself, if you don't believe me. I'll finish it later. It's adressed to you, after all." He pushed the letter towards Harry.

Harry took the parchment and took a quick look at it. He immediately recognized Lucius's tidy, careful handwriting. He began to read the letter. The further he got, the more surprised he became.

* * *

_Harry,_

_I have some pretty interesting news for you and Draco. Like you know already, I and Remus have been planning to adopt a child. At last, we've done it - but nothing went like we had thought._

_We were thinking about a girl somewhere around five years or so. So, we went to a wizarding orphanage. There were many little, cute girls there, but we really didn't know who of them we should take - or who of them would like us._

_Then we saw something that made us immediately make our decidion. A teenager girl, looking very lonely and thoughtful, was looking at us from the corner of the room where all the children were. We asked the head nurse about her, and heard some awful things about her._

_Her name is Olivia, and she's fifteen years old. She's magical, but she hasn't attended to any wizarding school for a single day in her whole life. She has a talent for Divination and is very good in Potions, but she can't cast a simple Lumos spell. I know it sounds impossible, but it's true._

_She had a normal, happy Muggle childhood. However, when her magical powers started to show up, she had to hide them - her father beat her unconscious for even the slightest signs of magic. In the age of fourteen she was attacked by some dark wizards. She hasn't told anyone what they did to her - I bet you can imagine it yourself - but when it was all over, she was found in the middle of blood and pieces of flesh. Through her sobbing and stammering the wizards who found her found out that she had apparently blown up one of her attackers. The only piece larger than a finger was a forearm - with a Dark Mark._

_She was taken to the orphanage, where they put some Memory Charms on her to prevent her form remembering. They were trying to train her magic powers, but it turned out that she couldn't use them any more. They are inside her, but she isn't able to use them._

_After few first sentences I saw that Remus had chosen. I had, as well. After the nurse had stopped telling her awful story, we walked right to her and asked if she wanted a home. We found out that she did._

_She's still afraid of every stranger, especially male ones. She now approves me and Remus, but the first day was awful. Every time we talked to her, she startled. Every time we took a step forward, she stepped backwards. She knew that we weren't going to hurt her, and she still acted that way._

_She still sometimes gets frightened by us. I must warn you - if you came to visit us, she'll probably be horribly afraid of you. I think she could stand you, if we tell her to - but she'll be afraid._

_I have to go, Remus calls me. Olivia also waits me to the lab - if she can't learn proper magic, we are at least going to train her in those things she's able to do. Severus has promised to teach Potions to her, but until he and Sirius return from their vacation, I'm teaching her. She'll be the best Potions brewer in the whole wide world, if it's up to me._

_Please consider very carefully whether you're going to let Draco read this whole letter or not. I don't think it would be good for him - Remus has seen nightmares about it last nights._

_More later._

_Lucius_

* * *

Harry looked up to Draco, who was looking at him with curiosity in his eyes. "Terrible," Harry whispered.

"What now?" Draco asked, looking pretty worried. "What did he say in the end? I didn't get past the part where he said how old she is." He reached his hand out for the letter.

"Are you sure you want to read this?" Harry asked, still shocked. He couldn't even imagine something so terrible happening to a young girl. It was obvious that they had had to put Memory Charms on her. Remembering something like that - he didn't want to even think about how horrible it must be. "He says it would be maybe better if you didn't."

"About the girl?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "Is it worse than your childhood?" he asked.

Harry merely nodded.

"Then burn it," Draco said. "I don't think I would ever finish the letter."

Harry nodded again and drew his wand. Without even asking again, he murmured a burning spell. He remembered very well how Draco had reacted when he had heard about Harry's life with Dursleys. He had cried for an entire night, not even noticing Harry's comforting. Draco was usually strong, but he wasn't able to stand anything bad happening to those close to him.

"What do you think, should we visit them?" Draco asked curiously. "I'd like to see this mysterious girl."

"Maybe." Harry smiled. "I'll owl them immediately."

* * *

"What do I look like?" Draco asked nervously. He was posing in front of a mirror, looking at himself. Harry was no more surprised about exactly how vain his boyfriend could be sometimes. "I'm not as awful as I think myself, am I?"

Harry studied his boyfriend. "You look gourgeous," he told him. "I just love those leather pants."

"Fake leather pants," Draco corrected him. "And of course you love them. That's the only reason why I ever wear these. Do you know how difficult it is to move around wearing tight leather pants? I'm barely able to sit down."

"All the better." Harry grinned. "I adore the way you move in them."

"I know you do." Draco grinned back to him. "Shouldn't we leave now?"

* * *

Harry wrapped his arms around Draco. He felt completely nice and safe. He was sitting on a sofa in the Malfoy Manor, Draco sitting next to him. On the opposite sofa were Lucius and Remus. Lucius had his arms around Remus as well. They were discussing Olivia.

"She has a pretty good sense for clothing," Remus told. "But for obvious reasons her wardrobe is totally miserable."

Draco nodded thoughtfully. Then he glanced at Remus, grinning mischieviously. "I think we should maybe take her shopping some day," he suggested. "What do you think about it?"

"An excellent idea," Remus replied, and a little grin was also playing on his mouth.

Harry sighed and looked hopelessly at Lucius. "I don't think there's any way for us to prevent them from doing that, right?" he said. It was more a statement than a question. They both knew their lovers well enough to know it was impossible.

Lucius shook his head, a gentle smile on his lips as well. "You should know that it's safer to face a hungry manticore than stand in a way of those two when they're going shopping," he said to the younger man. "They're both stubborn enough to get through a stone wall with their bare hands if there's a shop behind it."

"You'd better not say that again, Lucius Malfoy!" Remus exclaimed fiercely. "I'm definitely not stubborn!"

"No, of course you aren't, love," Lucius laughed. "You're the absolutely best person in the whole wide world, Remus Malfoy." He leaned towards his husband and kissed him warmly.

Draco glanced at Harry. "What's this?" he asked softly. "Don't I get a kiss as well?"

"Draco, you're impossible. Harry grinned. Then he pulled his boyfriend nearer to himself and kissed him.

After a moment, they heard a polite cough from the door. "I'm sorry to disturb, misters," Thoward said carefully, "but the dinner is ready."

They disengaged from each other and grinned to the uneasy house-elf. Then again, Thoward was always uneasy. Harry hadn't ever seen him all happy and carefree. It was just the way of living to the creature.

"We're coming, Thoward." Lucius smirked a bit and continued, "Although I don't think that anything can taste better than that." He glanced sideways to Remus, who blushed sligthly.

They walked to the dining room, happily talking together. That was, Remus and Draco were eagerly talking about all the places they should take Olivia shopping to, and Lucius and Harry just listened to them, sharing some desperate glances.

At last, Harry couldn't help but speak up. "Are you sure it's absolutely necessary to take her to Paris only for shopping?" Harry asked them, halfly amused, halfly astonished. They couldn't be serious, could they?

"Of course it is," Draco replied calmly. "I mean, how many times you've found nice clothes anywhere nearby?"

"All the time," Harry said and grinned. "But then again, I'm not shopaholic, absolutely obsessed fashion-focused dream-of-a-shopkeeper."

"And you mean that I am?" Draco snorted. "I am insulted."

"I knew you would be," Harry replied. "Now I have to make it up to you. That was the whole purpose of saying that."

They all laughed when they entered the dining room.

Olivia was already there. She was wearing a long, black skirt and a misty green blouse. She looked a bit surprised when she saw Harry and Draco, and she looked also cautious. "You didn't mention anyone coming," she said to Remus, taking a little step backwards. Her grey eyes were wide when she stared at the guests.

"Didn't I?" The werewolf looked sincerely regretful. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Olivia! I absolutely forgot. I swear I would have told you, but so much happened on the same time and..." He gave up explaining. "I'm so sorry," he only said.

"A little shy, aren't we?" Harry whispered to Draco.

"She's been through a lot," Draco reminded him. "Not a wonder that she's a bit afraid of strangers." Harry felt his boyfriend shivering. "That's horrible," Draco whispered with so quiet a voice that even Harry had hard time hearing him, standing right next to him.

"These are the Potters, dear," Lucius said to Olivia. "Harry and Draco. Draco is my son, and they are both our friends. You don't have to be scared of them."

"Not 'Potters', Father," Draco interrupted. "It's 'a Potter and a Malfoy.'"

"You just won't give up easily, won't you, Draco?" Harry sighed and rolled his eyes. "Face the truth, dear. You're maybe not officially Potter, but you are in every other way." He held his boyfriend's hand in his own and turned towards Olivia. "You are Olivia, then?" he asked. "We've heard a lot about you."

"But don't worry," Draco added. "We haven't believed anything."

Harry sighed again. "Could you please stop for a while?" he hissed to his boyfriend. "You aren't really helping, you know."

"I hope that you will do well together," Remus said. "I and Draco were planning to take you shopping to Paris."

"Shopping?" she echoed. "To Paris?" She glanced at them suspiciously. "You must be kidding," she said then.

"We're grave serious," Draco assured. "I'd never joke about such a serious thing as shopping."

Olivia looked thoughtful for a while. Then she showed them a small, careful smile. "I think I like him," she said to Remus.

"We thought you would," he replied calmly. "And I think that you'll like Harry as well. They're both very wonderful people." He glanced at the other men. "I think we should start eating before Thoward kills us," he suggested with a tiny, sly grin.

"Master Remus!" Thoward exclaimed, totally shocked. "I'd never-"

"We know, we know," Remus interrupted the house-elf before he was able to go any further in his complaint. "I was just kidding." He walked to the table and gestured the rest of them to follow him.

They got seated, Harry and Draco on the other side of the table, Lucius, Remus and Olivia on the other side. Olivia still gave them cautious glances, but at least she didn't look frightened anymore.

They started eating. Draco described some shirts he had bought that week. Lucius and Harry shared more desperate glances as he and Remus started talking about clothes. Olivia didn't say anything, but she leant forward, listening carefully.

On some point of the conversation Draco turned towards Olivia. She startled and moved a little bit backwards, but didn't say anything.

Draco studied her carefully for a while. Then he smiled. "The colour of that blouse fits your eyes perfectly," he said approvingly. "And that shade of black suits you also very well."

Olivia blushed slightly. "Thanks," she whispered. "Your own clothes are gourgeous."

"There aren't any different nuances of black," Harry pointed out. "There is only black, and then there are different greys and very dark other colours. Those aren't black."

Draco looked doubtfully at him. "You mean, you've lived this long with me and you still think there's only one black colour?" He shook his head. "I'm shocked, Harry. I'd never expected this from you."

Lucius and Harry both just stared. Olivia and Remus chuckled cheerfully. "Stop teasing him, Draco," Remus advised. "Not everyone has such a perfect colour sense as you do."

"Okay, then," Draco said, grinning. "I'm sorry, Harry, love. I just couldn't resist. But you have to admit that the colour of her skirt is perfect."

"Like Remus just said, not everyone has your eye for colours," Harry replied calmly. "And I definitely don't have. You know that." He looked sideways at his boyfriend, giving him a sly grin. "I only recognize one colour, and it's the nuance of red you have on your face when you blush."

"I don't blush!" Draco exclaimed, blushing fiercely. "I never do!"

They all laughed at him. Then Harry began feeling sorry for him. He knew very well how bad Draco always felt when he was embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "You know very well that I love you."

Draco nodded. "I do know that," he said, calming down. Then he gave Harry a wide, cunning smile. "But you have to make it up to me."

"What, the fact I love you?" Harry asked, acting shocked.

Draco didn't even bother to answer. Instead he just pecked his boyfriend on the cheek and then grasped his hand tightly, squeezing it slightly.

Harry returned the gesture.

* * *

"She's having nightmares," Lucius told Harry as they two went outside to a snowy balcony for a while. Behind the glass door Draco and Remus continued planning the trip to Paris, Olivia shyly listening to them. "Nightmares, about those Death Eaters who... who raped her."

"Nightmares?" Harry echoed. "Didn't you tell in the letter that her memories were covered with Memory Charms? How is she able to have nightmares, if she doesn't remember a thing?"

"Ministry did hide her memories, true," the older man said, "but even they can't affect one's subconsciousness. And like you know, nightmares, like dreams, come from there. That's also the reason why she is scared of strange men - she doesn't actively fear them, but her subconsciousness tells her to be afraid. When she's wholly aware of the situation, she isn't afraid, just a bit nervous. But when there are new people around, or she gets surprised - she almost screamed yesterday as Remus touched her. Remus, of all the people on earth - the one who wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"At least not when he's completely himself," Harry pointed out dryly. "Involuntary actions are another thing." He was quiet for a moment before continuing, "Olivia looks pretty happy. How has she been around here?"

Lucius smiled a bit. "As well as one can be, when she's having nightmares that scare the hell out of her and afterwards she doesn't even know why they frighten her. She spent the first day wandering around the Manor, looking totally lost. After that she found the ball room and has spent nearly every evening there - I don't have a clue about what she's doing there. And of course she's been in our lab - half of her time is spent on either brewing different kinds of potions or reading books about them."

"Wanders around like a restless ghost, is mysterious about her doings and obsessive about potions of any kind?" Harry grinned. "Severus is going to love her."

"I figured so as well," Lucius chuckled. "I'm a bit doubtful about whether it's a good idea to let those two come together. I'm obsessive about potions, I admit that, but Severus is much worse. You know that when Draco and Remus really started getting along, Draco's obsession on shopping increased at least to three times what it was before. If Severus gets someone to talk to who's the same way about potions as he is..."

"Scary," Harry said, but he was grinning. "I think I don't want to be there when they get together."

"I don't, either." Lucius grinned as well. "Should we maybe get back inside before those two have enough time to spoil our poor Olivia completely?"

"Maybe we should." Harry opened the glass door of the balcony and stepped inside, the older man following right after him.

"Ah, there you come," Draco said with a smirk when they closed the door behind them. "We thought that you had frozen on your footsteps and we should melt you."

"You're only envious because you can't stand cold as well as we can," Lucius said dryly to his son, sitting next to his husband. "My uncle Thomanius was able to stay outside in snow without a cloak for ten hours running, and he didn't even get his fingers cold."

"And then again, great-uncle Thomanius was a madman," Draco said, and snorted. "You know it very well. He's probably the only one in the Malfoy family who has ever tried to swim in the smaller lake. Unfortunately, he survived."

"Thomanius?" Harry echoed. "Isn't one of your names Thomanius, Draco?"

"Don't remind me about it," the pale man complained, while everybody else laughed - even Olivia dared to smile. "I didn't choose my name! It's wholly Father's fault!"

"Hey!" Remus suddenly exclaimed. "Take your cold hands off from me!"

Lucius laughed and removed his hands from his husband's shoulders. "Okay, okay," he said and smirked. "I would never freeze your poor little shoulders on purpose." Remus gave him The Glare Of Death - marrying a Malfoy teaches you a whole lot of things.

"They are pretty much like Sirius and Severus, aren't they?" Harry asked from Draco, a wide grin on his face. "Always fighting about something that doesn't matter at all."

"It's great amusement," Draco admitted. "One of the main reasons to even stay in touch with Father." He smiled very innocently at his father before continuing, "Do you remember what it was like when they got together? My dear uncles, I mean."

"Of course I do," Harry laughed. "How could I ever forget it? They scared the hell out of half of the Slytherins and all the Gryffindors."

"And it was nothing compared to the situation where dad and Remus admitted their love," Draco pointed out. "I always knew that you're dramatic, Father, but I never saw the same charasteristic in you, Remus - not before that day."

The werewolf shook his head, a small smile on his lips. "I didn't have very much choice, now did I," he said. "I just did what I had to."

"How did it happen?" asked Olivia, seemingly curious. "They've never told me. Because they haven't, you have to tell me."

Draco and Harry glanced sideways at each other. Draco smiled a little bit and nodded. Harry opened his mouth and started, "I think I can very well tell the first time I saw your uncles really together..."

* * *

A/N: The next chapter: **Memories**

Sirius and Severus coming out, Lucius and Remus coming out, and a beginning of new lives.


	3. Memories

Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: Chapter revised.

* * *

..Our little one..

Chapter Three

Memories

* * *

This chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

This chapter is wholly flashbacks.

* * *

4th of November, 1995

* * *

Double Potions. With Slytherins. And professor Snape on his worst mood.

What else do you need to spoil one's day?

Harry couldn't imagine anything worse at the moment. Snape was even more annoying than usually, and Slytherins' nasty remarks didn't really help the case. He was tired because he had spent half of the last night reading over and over Sirius's letter - it seemed that they were just about to catch Wormtail, and then he'd be free.

"Potter, are you awake? You should add those bat ears soon, if you don't want your potion to get spoiled!"

He shivered and quickly put last ingredients into his cauldron. Snape was clearly totally pissed today. He wondered what had caused such an anger. On the other hand, Snape was always angry.

But, on the other hand, he usually didn't see girls coming out from Snape's class room crying. At least not seventh years' Advanced Potions class. And at least not Slytherins.

Yes, something was clearly annoying Snape today.

Harry felt somebody looking at him. He turned his head carefully after making sure that Snape wasn't looking at him. His gaze met a pair of eyes, full of sympathy. When he returned the gaze, the owner of the eyes gave him an encouraging smile and nodded slightly. 'Try to stand him', the other person mouthed. 'I'll kiss you better after the lesson.'

Harry grinned and returned the nod. At least one person knew exactly how to make him feel better.

Then he concentrated again to his potion, determined to not let it burn. He'd show Snape that even somebody other than Draco Malfoy could brew a successful potion. Although looking on his mood, Snape would probably take points from Gryffindor for making the Slytherins look worse.

What the heck. He couldn't care less on the moment.

Suddenly he heard something that made his heart skip a beat.

"GRIM! IT'S A GRIM!" Parvati screamed. Lavender didn't say anything. She just fainted, making no sound at all.

"Oh, shut up," Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes. "Snuffles is only a dog. Okay, he's maybe big and black, and he probably looks like some imaginary monster, but he's only a dog. Aren't you?" she asked then, turning towards the dog and smiling.

The dog gave her a wide, happy grin before sitting down on the floor. Professor McGonagall stepped in after him.

"What's this, Minerva?" Snape asked, irritated. "As you can see, I have a lesson going here. And I have clearly forbidden bringing that mutt into my classroom under any circumstances!"

"This is straight order from the Headmaster," McGonagall replied, looking exactly as stern as usually. "I have an announcement to make to every class, and this 'mutt' is involved in it."

Harry took a quick breath. He glanced at Hermione and Ron, who were both beaming at himy. Then he took a quick glance behind him. Someone was still looking at him. He smiled, and he got back a smile and a thumbs-up. Then he turned back towards the front of the classroom, listening carefully when McGonagall took an official-looking parchment from her pocket and began reading it.

"With this announcement, Sirius Black is a free man, who has committed no crimes. He has a public apology from the Ministry, he'll have back his wand and all his properties..."

At this point Harry didn't hear anything else. His head was whirling over and over one thought: Sirius was free. And Harry was free as well, free of his Muggle relatives. His godfather's name had been cleared, and Harry could live with him, and there was no need for hiding any more. Everything seemed almost too good to be true.

When McGonagall finished reading the parchment, the black dog turned back into Sirius. Parvati screamed. Lavender, who had just received back her consciousness, fainted again. Several cries bursted out from mouths of surprised students.

Sirius ignored them all. His eyes were locked at Snape, who just stood there, staring and looking even paler than usually - if that was even possible. Sirius walked nearer to the Potions Master, who still hadn't moved a finger, leave alone speaking.

Sirius stopped in front of him. The whole class room fell silent. "Well?" he asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"And I didn't believe," Snape murmured, almost too quietly to be heard. Then, to the great surprise of both McGonagall and the students, he kneeled down to the floor. "I apologize," he said softly, his head bent down. Then he repeated, "I apologize. I should have believed you... of all the people."

Harry looked at the Potions Master, surprised. What did he mean? If someone, Remus was the one who anybody could expect to believe Sirius - like he had believed. Snape had always been his worst enemy... right?

Sirius's next gesture, however, surprised him - and all the others - even more. "Forgiven and forgotten," he said with an equally soft tone. Then he gave his hand down to the kneeled man, who grasped on it. Sirius pulled Snape up, and then, seemingly ignoring all the other people in the classroom, enveloped him in a warm, comforting embrace. "Forgiven and forgotten," he murmured again, this time with his face hid in Snape's hair. The Potions Master didn't reply with words, but he embraced the other man back even tighter.

Harry stared. He knew that everyone other was staring as well. He recognized this gesture. The embrace wasn't one of those warm, brotherly hugs that Sirius and Remus sharedevery now and then. This reminded him more about... Ron and Hermione. Ron and Hermione, just before they kissed each other.

Professor McGonagall looked equally surprised at first. Then her lips curved into a dry smile. "It looks like the class is dismissed. Away, the lot of you." Then she disappeared from the door.

Everyone began collecting their stuff, talking excitedly. They all gave the two men careful glances before going out. At last there were only five people left - Sirius, Snape, Harry, Ron and Hermione.

The two men had stopped embracing each other. Instead of that, Sirius still kept his hands on Snape's shoulders while the Potions Master had wrapped his own arms around Sirius's waist. The were looking each other in the eye, completely oblivious to everything around them.

Harry coughed politely. The two men turned to look at them. Snape slowly took his hands off from Sirius's waist, and Sirius let his hands down as well. A little flush creeped on the faces of both of them. Harry couldn't believe his eyes. Snape was blushing, of all the people! "Am I horribly mistaken," he asked, trying to keep his voice calm, "if I assume that you're maybe something more than just old friends?"

Snape snorted. "Oh, no," he replied dryly. "I walk around hugging men every now and then. Haven't you noticed?" He took a short step nearer to Sirius, who wrapped his arms around the shorter man's shoulders, looking at the students over his head.

"We even got engaged once." Sirius smiled sadly. "They took the ring from me when I was thrown to Azkaban. I hope they still have it."

Snape didn't say a word at first. Instead of that, he put two long fingers down his collar. Then he pulled up a long, thin metal chain. In the chain hung two silver rings, one shining sapphire on each. "They don't," he said with hoarse voice. "I kept it as well as my own. I have your wand safe also."

Harry saw tears forming in his godfather's eyes. "All these years," Sirius whispered. "Even when you didn't believe..."

"I didn't maybe believe," Snape replied, with a little smile on his lips, "but I never gave up hoping."

"Romantic Snape," Ron murmured. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Hush," Hermione hissed. She looked attentively at the two men. Attentively, and a bit... cautiously. Harry suddenly began feeling nervous when he saw the looks on the faces of his two best friends. They didn't seem to approve the situation at all.

Sirius put his hands behind Snape's neck and opened the lock. Then he carefully removed the rings from the chain. After that, without any hesitating, he put the smaller ring into Snape's left ring finger. The Potions Master merely smiled before returning the gesture.

"Ergh," Ron growled. "Romantic Snape involved with Sirius. I have to get out of here!" He turned around and hurried out of the room. Hermione followed him in an instant, after giving Harry a suspicious glance over her shoulder.

Sirius looked after them, looking sad. "Pity," he said, shaking his head. "What a pity." Then he glanced cautiously at his godson. "Does this disturb you, Harry?" he asked, sounding suddenly worried. "I know that most of the people don't like gays. And I know that you don't like Severus very much..."

"That was the understatement of the year," Snape murmured dryly. "Or maybe more like something along the lines of the understatement of the decade."

Harry chuckled. "You aren't serious, right?" he asked grinning. "Can you really imagine that I'd walk to my boyfriend and tell him, 'By the way, I just decided to not to talk with my godfather anymore because he happens to be a gay and is engaged to your favourite teacher. Give me a kiss now.'"

The two men merely stared at him. Then Sirius echoed slowly, with a very soft tone, "'Boyfriend'?"

Snape said with equally soft and a little bit amused voice, "Favourite teacher'?"

On the same second a pale, blonde head peered inside from the door. "Ah, there you are," Draco said cheerfully when he saw Harry. "I've been looking for you." He stepped inside and grasped Harry's hand. "Would you mind if I stole Harry?" he asked from the two men, mischief playing in his silver eyes.

Sirius snickered. "We have nothing against it," he said, seemingly struggling against laughter. "Go ahead if you want him."

"Thanks." Draco grinned and wrapped his arm around Harry's. "And congratulations to you two," he added, nodding towards the two rings on their fingers. Then he dragged the Gryffindor outside with definitely too much strength for someone with a body as short and slim as his.

"Sorry that I didn't come earlier," he said once they had gotten outside the class room. "But with your friends there, it felt best not to stay. So when I saw them leaving, I decided to come in to check back on you. Only to make sure that you hadn't killed Snape, you know."

"Say it like it is," Harry commanded with a teasing smile. "You couldn't hold back your curiosity, so you came back to see what was going on."

"Maybe," Draco grinned. "Or maybe I just decided it would be best to take you out from there before those two couldn't hold themselves back anymore. Who knows how traumatic it would have been to you to see your godfather and most hated teacher making out in front of you?"

"I think that at that point, I'd have run away like Ron and Hermione," Harry chuckled. He felt a little sting in his chest. If his friends couldn't stand Sirius and Snape being together, what would they say about his and Draco's relationship?

"Ran away?" Draco echoed. "So they're homophobic, are they?" He didn't need any other answer than Harry's sad expression. "Oh, my poor boy," he sighed, hugging him tightly. "Don't worry, love. I won't let them upset you." Then he gave him a slight grin. "Hey, at least you don't have to worry about your godfather's attitude towards us, right? And I don't think that Lupin would be any more upset - I mean, he's been Black's best friend for half of their lives. I'd be completely surprised if he didn't know."

"I don't know if he knows about Sirius," Harry murmured, "but at least he knows about us."

Draco looked completely stunned. "Err... You didn't say what I think you said, right?" he pleaded. "Our werewolf professor doesn't know about us?"

"Yes, he does," Harry replied, slightly amused. He enjoyed seeing Draco so surprised. He hardly ever managed to surprise the cunning Slytherin, so when he did, it was always a great victory for him. "He had somehow found out. He talked to me about it on one of my extra DADAs with him a month ago. He seemed to be only happy, nothing else."

"What if he tells somebody?" Draco asked, now very worried. "Snape and your godfather won't tell anybody, not after seeing your friends' reaction. But he doesn't know how they'd take that! And if he doesn't know about my father... What if he tells?"

"Calm down, Draco, dear," Harry smiled. "He can keep a secret. Hell, if he hasn't told Sirius - and he hasn't, you saw how surprised Sirius was - then why'd he tell anybody else? To be honest, I'm much more worried about Snape."

"Why?" Draco asked, confused. "He'd never tell anybody! At first, he doesn't want to spoil dad's mission, and at second, he doesn't want to upset your friends."

"I don't think so," Harry said bitterly. "I think that he'll be only glad to have something to use on his advantage against me. He's made my life a living hell these past years! I don't see any reasons why he'd stop now, Sirius on his arms or not! He'll probably tell everyone during some Potions lesson, and then we'll be both as good as dead - Gryffindors will kill you and Slytherins will kill me!"

"He's my godfather, he'd never do that to me. And he isn't that bad, you know," Draco smiled. "It was all only keeping up the Death Eater facade. And when he doesn't have to keep it up any more..."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked. It was his turn to be confused. "He's still a spy, right?"

"No, he isn't," Draco said with a bit sad smile on his face. "Didn't you know? The knowledge needed for capturing Pettigrew came all from him. This time Voldemort found out who was behind the betrayal. He knows that Snape is a traitor. He can't leave Hogwarts for a single moment, or they'll kill him the second he steps outside."

"Oh." Harry was very pale. This was serious, he knew it. If Voldemort had discovered one of the spies... "So there's only one good Death Eater remaining, right?"

"Right," Draco nodded. He looked even sadder than before. "My father. We have to hide this even better than before, if we want to defeat Voldemort."

"So I'd better hurry to the Gryffindor tower," Harry pointed out. "See you tonight." He pecked his boyfriend quickly on the lips and ran away.

* * *

23rd of May, 1998

* * *

"You betrayed me, Lucius Malfoy," Voldemort shouted. "And you'll pay for it!" He raised his wand and pointed at the traitorous Death Eater. "_Dorama Salviara_!" A beam of light, purple colour with a sickening shade of red, bursted out from his wand and flew towards Malfoy.

"NO!" screamed someone with a voice full of agony and fear. A figure of a man rushed towards the men and jumped between Malfoy and the evil curse.

Many things happened at the same moment. Harry and Dumbledore both pointed their wands at Voldemort and shouted in unison, "_Avada Kedarva_!" Sirius let out a weak, helpless scream and ran towards the victim of Dark Lord's curse, Snape following on his heels. Lucius Malfoy kneeled down, gently taking the moveless body of Remus Lupin into his lap, and began slowly rocking the unconscious man on his arms like he had been a little baby.

Harry looked at the fall of Dark Lord Voldemort, totally drained of all feelings. He didn't feel any kind of triumph, not relief, he wasn't happy, but not really sad, either. He was just - empty. Like he had already felt everything, done everything, and there was nothing else left for him.

The young wizard turned around, leaving the moveless body of Voldemort behind, and walked towards the group gathered together some way afar. He stopped in front of them, looking at each of them, one by one. He didn't say a word, but the question was pretty easily seen on his face as well as on everyone other's.

Malfoy raised his silver eyes to meet Harry's emerald gaze. "He will survive," he said softly. "He will survive. Werewolves are Dark creatures. The curse can't cause any permanent harm to him."

"Why?" was all that Sirius asked. His question was barely more than a whisper. They all had to really concentrate to hear him at all. "Why did he do so?"

"Wouldn't you have done the same, if Voldemort had tried to curse me instead of Lucius?" Snape asked, gently stroking his husband's arm.

"You mean... You don't mean..." Sirius wasn't able to finish the sentence.

"Yes, he does," Malfoy whispered. "Remus and I... we are in love with each other. We have been for so long..." He embraced the unconscious man even tighter and murmured something into his hair.

"And... what about Narcissa?" Sirius asked. He still didn't seem to believe, leave alone approve this surprising relationship between his best friend and the head of Malfoy family - the traditional opponents of both the Black and the Potter families. It had nothing to do with being on Dark or Light Side - he knew very well that Malfoy was in the Light. It was just... they had been raised to hate each other, no matter what. Harry and Draco's love had been more like a big joke to him - besides, Draco's mother was Snape's sister, so he couldn't totally disapprove the boy without upsetting his own lover. But Lucius Malfoy, and love deep enough to make Remus ready to sacrifice his own life without hesitating - that was too much for him to accept.

Malfoy snorted. "Arranged marriage," he explained. "We have never loved each other. Respect is the only thing between us. She never said anything about my and Remus's relationship, and I never even blinked when she had her own affairs around. It's worked pretty well all this time."

"What was that curse?" Harry asked, crouching down to take a more careful look at the werewolf. He wanted anything else to think about than this - everything was already so difficult. He didn't need more confusion in his already messed-up life.

"Dorama Salviara? It's a very nasty dark curse," Malfoy replied. "It was originally created for endless torturing. In old times it was one of the Unforgivables, but nowadays it's mostly forgotten. It is the only other curse than Avada Kedarva that is capable to end one's life all by itself. But while Kedarva takes your life immediately, Salviara takes it through horrible pain and suffering. It lasts for three days running, or until the victim is dead - less than ten people have ever been able to survive after being hit with Salviara curse."

"And you're sure that it doesn't affect Remus the same way it would have affected you?" Sirius asked with a very dangerous tone. "Because if he dies..."

"If he died, I'd end my life myself," Malfoy replied dryly. "I couldn't bring myself to live after his death. But he won't die of this, he won't even feel any pain. As I said, werewolves are Dark creatures, no matter how harmless they are most of the time. This curse was created centuries ago, when all Dark creatures fought on the same side with the Dark wizards. They didn't want to accidentally kill their allies who were fighting in the middle of the Light wizards. Therefore, the curse only puts all Dark creatures, including werewolves, into a deep, dreamless sleep until those three days have lapsed and the curse has gone away."

They all were quiet for some time. Harry couldn't take his eyes away from Remus, because he didn't know where he'd look if he didn't look at him. There seemed to be nothing to focus on. The last seven years of his life had been directed to this night, to the defeat of the Dark Lord who had killed his parents. And now it was over, and when even Remus's surprising gesture and the curse had been explained to him, there seemed to be nothing left for him to do.

He tried to get up, but didn't manage. Sirius gave him his hand and pulled him up. His godfather looked at first at him, then at the collapsed body in the middle of the clearing. "Nice work," he said at last, smiling that cheerful, mischievous grin Harry had so many times missed during the long, dark years of the war.

Then Sirius turned towards Snape, who had said something, and Harry was completely lost. He heard some cries behind him.

"Voldemort is gone!"

"We won!"

"Is it true? Is it really over?"

"Oh, thank Merlin!"

And then Draco was there, everyone was there, McGonagall and some Aurors and everyone, and Harry wasn't fully aware of what was happening. He felt like he was just about to collapse. Then there were Draco's arms around him, keeping him up, holding him, small hands gently rubbing his back, soothing him. Harry cried, and Draco cried as well. They didn't cry in sorrow, but in joy and relief, because the nightmare drawing shadows in their life was finally over and they could start a new life together.

"It's over," Draco sobbed against Harry's shoulder. "It's all over. Voldemort is defeated." Then it was Harry's turn to support him, keep him on his feet, mumble sweet nothings into his ear.

"Harry -" said somebody behind them. Then he heard a quick breath and some stumbling steps.

Harry felt how his heart sank. He had recognized Ron's voice. Slowly he turned around to face his friends. He didn't take his arms from Draco's waist.

"I see," Hermione said as she reached Ron's side and saw who was standing next to Harry. "I see. And I understand completely." Her face was a mask of shock and slight disgust.

"No, I don't think you understand," Harry said softly, shaking his head. He felt so sad about losing his friends like that - but he couldn't imagine his life without Draco. "I don't think you understand at all."

Then he grasped Draco's hand and he and his lover turned around, holding hands. Slowly they walked away. For a moment Harry hoped they'd ask him to stay, that they'd apologize, but they didn't. His two best friends just stared at him when he at last joined the group of the most important people in his life.

Remus was already lying on a magical stretcher, Lucius holding his hand with a mix of love and concern on his face. Sirius was there as well, standing next to Snape, smiling slightly at the approaching couple. "They didn't take it very well, huh?" he asked when the teens reached their side.

"Didn't take it at all," Harry replied dryly. "I thought that Ron would have hexed us to death in an instant if he'd only been able to decide which one of us should go first. And Hermione was like McGonagall on her worst."

"They'll get used to it," Snape said with more sympathy in his voice that Harry had ever heard - after Sirius had been freed, he'd become more than civil, but he still wasn't very eager to show his feelings.

"I doubt that," Draco pointed out. "You two have been together for nearly a year and half now, and they don't seem to be very used to you two. They don't even talk to you if you don't ask something from them in class!"

"Even if they don't, you'll always have us," Sirius said firmly. "We'll always be there for you, Harry. You know that. And if your friends can't approve you like you are, then they don't deserve to be your friends at all."

"Yes," Harry said. "Maybe you're right."

"I am," Sirius said without hesitating.

Then the stretcher rose into the air, and Pomfrey started to lead it towards the castle. The five men around began walking with her, leaving their old lives behind to the clearing, where Voldemort's corpse had already begun to rot away.

* * *

26th of May, 1998

* * *

Lucius Malfoy sat beside Remus's bed in the Infirmary when Harry, Draco, Sirius and Severus walked inside. The blond man acknowledged their approach with a slight nod, his eyes still focused on the unconscious man on the bed.

"He's not awake yet?" Sirius stated the obvious as they settled to stand beside the bed.

"No, he isn't," Lucius replied, stroking slightly his lover's moveless hand. "But he should wake up at any moment. It has been three days already; the curse should wear out soon."

"Good," Severus said. "It's full moon the day after tomorrow. He has to be healthy for Wolfsbane to have effect on him."

Lucius now turned his eyes from Remus to the Potions Master. "I haven't thanked you yet for providing him with it," he mentioned. "Even when he got fired from here for a year, you still sent him his monthly doses. I don't know how I'm ever able to thank you enough for that."

"No need to thank me," Snape replied, shrugging. "He's not only Sirius's friend, but one of mine as well, and Merlin knows I don't have too many friends. I was only glad to help him with it."

"Still. You made it all so much easier for him." Then something seemed to light up in those silver eyes. It was some kind of... mischief. Harry had seen it before - in Sirius's eyes, just before he did something totally hilarious - like sending Severus a howler with a message "I LOVE YOU!", or creeping in his Animagus form to Trelawney's bedroom in the middle of night (although Dumbledore had forbidden the latter after Trelawney'd had a heart attack and almost died). "Severus, Black... Would you do me a favour?"

"Sure," Severus replied, "what is it?"

"Come here," the blond said, getting on his feet. "I'll explain you." He gestured them to follow him. They three walked into the corner of the room, leaving Harry and Draco alone beside the bed.

The two boys glanced at each other. "Well, they'll tell us if they want," Harry said, and shrugged. "And if they don't, they wouldn't tell us even if we asked them. So there's no use to ask anything anyway."

"I think we'll eventually find out," Draco replied. "It has to be something involving Lupin. And I have a small presentiment about what it could be."

Harry raised a questioning eyebrow, but Draco only grinned and shook his head. Harry sat down on the bed next to Remus's, pulling Draco into his lap. Then he wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's shoulders.

For a moment they just sat there, looking at the unconscious werewolf, not thinking about anything in particular. Harry just enjoyed the sensation of Draco's warm body in his lap, the blond head pressed against his chest, the long-fingered hands gently holding his wrists.

Suddenly Draco stirred. "Look!" he urged. "I think he moved!"

In an instant the three older men were coming towards them. Harry looked at Remus, looking for a sign of awakening. Then he saw it: A little stir of the fingers laying on the bed.

Remus moved his hands again, now more clearly. Then he slowly opened his eyes. "Lucius...?" he whispered, looking for the man with his still unfocused eyes. "Lucius, where are you?" His voice was gaining a more and more distressed level. Then he yelled, "Lucius!" sounding terrified.

And then Lucius was there, grasping his hand and squeezing it gently, comforting him. "I'm here, Remus dear," the blond replied, soothing him. "I'm right here. And it's all because of you, love."

"What?" Remus blinked. Then he let out a sigh of relief. "Oh," he said. "So I was able to save you from Voldemort?"

"You definitely did so," Lucius admitted. "And Voldemort has gone now, Remus. The Dark Lord has died for good. At last we can live together."

Remus blinked again. He obviously had hard time trying to understand what was going on, because the remains of the curse still hung on him. He slowly turned his head to look at the other people. Then he smiled slightly. "You're all here," he sighed, relieved. "You're all alive."

"Yes, we're all alive," Sirius replied, his whole face beaming with joy and happiness. "And we're doing very well in every aspect. At least now when you're with us again."

"Oh." Then he turned his glance to Harry and Draco. "I'm sorry for you," he said softly. "I hope you'd have more understanding friends. At least I'd expected more from Ron. Someone with brothers like Charlie and Percy should be much more approving."

"How'd you know?" Harry asked, astonished.

"I've seen how they've been treating Sirius and Severus," Remus replied dryly. "And you're holding Draco's hand like you were afraid of him flying away. You wouldn't be like that if everything was okay."

"Well... you're right. They haven't even looked towards me for three days." Then the last part of Remus's comment reached his brains. "Charlie?" he asked. "And _Percy_? You aren't serious, are you? And how do you know that?"

"Oh yes, I am grave serious," Remus grinned. "Who do you think Percy came to ask for advice when he noticed his new, odd feelings towards Oliver Wood? And Charlie - well, let's just say that he's just as popular among young men as young women..."

"If you've finished discussing that, could you please get up and wear some clothes?" Lucius asked, raising an eyebrow. "Pomfrey said that because sleeping is your only injury, you're allowed to get up as soon as you wake up. I don't want to waste a single moment of being able to show the whole world that you're mine."

"Are you really sure about that?" Remus asked with a slight grin when he got dressed in the clothes Lucius had brought for him.

"Oh yes, I am," the other man said, and smirked. "Come on, love. We still have time for dinner, if we keep hurrying."

"So you're asking me for a dinner?" Remus asked with a teasing smile. "Sounds great. Let's go." He took the offered arm and walked with Lucius out of the Infirmary. Sirius and Severus followed, Draco and Harry right on their heels.

When they entered the Great Hall, everyone fell silent. All the students were, of course, used to see Sirius and Severus together. The last three days had left them prepared to see Harry and Draco together as well. But, despite all the rumours and gossip, no one had really believed that Remus Lupin could be involved with Lucius Malfoy.

Now they saw it. They saw Remus in new, black velvet robes, walking towards the staff table, arms linked with Lucius Malfoy, who was looking just as aristocratic as usually in his equally black robes. Sirius and Severus, walking behind them, got nearly no looks at all, and Harry and Draco only few more as they parted from the adults and made their way towards the Slytherin table.

No one was anymore surprised when Harry calmly sat down next to Draco. After Ron and Hermione had abandoned him on the day of Voldemort's defeat, he'd noticed that there was no one else he could sit with but Draco. Surprisingly the Slytherins seemed to be much more tolerant than the Gryffindors. After Draco had told them that no, Potter didn't have him under any curse or charm, they had approved their leader's choice without any problems at all. Of course most of them were still wary and careful around Harry, but because none of those who still were left at Hogwarts were on the Dark Side, they were civil and almost friendly towards him.

Now they were both surrounded by curious questions. Everyone wanted to know if this was a joke - "No, it isn't", if Remus and Lucius really were together - "So it really seems", if Draco had known before - "Of course I did - he's spent the last two summers in our home", and what Narcissa thought about it - "She couldn't really care less, believe me."

In the end of the dinner Harry noticed that something was happening at the staff table. He looked curiously at all the female professors and at least half of the male ones, who seemed to be equally interested in something he couldn't see properly. In fact, what he did see told him very well what he didn't see.

He saw Remus, looking totally astonished. In front of him was Lucius, who had seemingly kneeled down, since there was only his head in sight. Then Remus said something, and Lucius got on his feet with a triumphant grin, making a little gesture towards Sirius and Severus.

Those two now murmured some spells towards their throats. It seemingly was Sonorius, because soon Sirius's voice echoed in the Great Hall, clearly heard by everyone. "We've been asked to tell you all," his godfather told with a mild amusement in his voice, "that the divorce of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy has taken place nine o'clock this morning."

"We're also delighted to tell," Severus continued, "that Lucius Malfoy has just proposed to Remus Lupin, who has, to the great joy of us all, accepted this request."

"That be all," Sirius hastied to add. "Thank you." Then he took off the spells.

Harry glanced at Draco. "Did you know about this?" he asked.

Draco shook his head. "No, I didn't," he said. "Of course I knew that he was eventually going to do that, but I didn't know exactly how and where and when. I certainly didn't expect it to happen this soon." He smiled happily. "It seems that we all have a new life ahead us, don't you think?" he asked.

"Right," Harry replied, being very careful not to look towards the Gryffindor table, where his former friends were surely giving him, Draco and their four adult friends angry and disgusted glares. "A new life."

* * *

A/N: The next chapter: BA Happy Family/B

Wedding photos and a full moon.


	4. A Happy Family

Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: Chapter revised.

* * *

.Our little one. .

Chapter Four

A Happy Family

* * *

This part of the chapter is from Remus's POV.

* * *

"Would you want to see some pictures?" I ask from Olivia. I'm holding some photo albums in my hands. They contain pictures of my and Lucius's wedding day, fluffy and warm all around.

"Pictures?" she echoes warily, raising her gaze from the book she's reading. On the page I see some very complex recipe. I don't even want to know what it is. I was always miserable in Potions. Fortunately to me, Sirius was good, and he practically dragged me through Potions exams. Now I have Lucius and Severus around me, so I don't have to even think about potions anymore - something I'm very glad about.

"Yes," I say, and smile at her, trying to soothe her. She's so cautious. "Photographs. Our wedding day and all that. You could also see Sirius and Severus."

"They're coming next week, right?" she asks. Her expression is an interesting mix of caution and waiting. Not a miracle. We have been telling her that Severus is the best Potions Master in the country, and Draco really hasn't helped with his stories about Severus's research. She's just as fond of potions as Lucius is, if not more, and now she'll be taught by the best.

"Yes, they are," I reply, smiling. She's really been listening to what we say. Good. Listening is one of the best ways to wisdom. I just hope she didn't listen only because of her fear of disturbing someone. But then again, you can never get everything. "I thought that you'd maybe like to see some photos of them before they arrive. And since you were so interested in the beginning of our relationships, I thought that you'd like to see our wedding as well."

"I'd love to," she smiles, placing the book on the little table next to the armchair. I walk to the table and put the albums on it, and she follows me. We sit down in two chairs next to each other, and I open the first album.

These pictures still make me smile. Most of our wedding photos were taken by Sirius, who is, I may tell, a pretty good photographer. He has perpetuated all the hurry and fuss of the wedding morning. Me running down the stairs with Harry on my side, Severus disputing about something with the vicar, Draco giving last-moment orders to the house-elves decorating the Manor - it's all there. And Draco combing his hair for at least the seventeenth time; everyone running around me and, in another picture, Lucius, making sure that we look just right; me fainting for the first time - he photographed every single time, there were nine of them; and one taken by Severus - Sirius looking desperately for the rings.

I explain the situation in every picture to Olivia. She even giggles sometimes, epecially to the picture of Sirius and the lost rings - it took half a hour from him to find them, and they were in his pocket all the time. I love it when she smiles. She has very pretty smile, and it's rarity makes it even more likeable.

I turn a few pages forward, telling about every picture. She's soon aware of all those things - how nervous I was, how Draco took every little detail of the decoration to perfection, how Harry lost his dressing robes and found them under his bed.

At last we reach the pictures of the actual wedding. I see my own beaming smile as I reach Lucius's side at last. I'd fainted four times before stepping in to the large ball room of the Manor. I was afraid of fainting on my way to the altar, but fortunately Severus's Calming Potion had effect just in time.

Then there's the exhange of the rings - I'm glad he was there with the camera, I wasn't really aware of anything that was happening. I took me so long to answer the vicar's question that Lucius told afterwards he had been afraid of being left on the altar. Like I could ever leave him.

Us dancing - these are my favourites of all the wedding photos. I really could dance, and I didn't mess up. I think it was the only time in my life when I really was good at dancing. Or maybe it was Lucius, his strong arms holding me, leading me, not letting me faint again.

The photograph-Lucius murmurs something to the photograph-Remus, who blushes slightly and whispers something back. I remember he said he loved me - that is one of the very rare lines I remember from that day.

"You have very pretty robes," Olivia mentions. "That light gold is just right colour for you, and Lucius is always great in black." Her eyes shine in delight as she looks at the photographs. She runs her finger along the sides of the pictures, surrounding each one of them with an invisible path of her fingertip. Maybe she tries to memorize them, who knows.

"Thanks." I smile. "You know, Lucius changed his robes seven times that morning. At last he took the ones he'd tried on first. Even Draco said that he could see no difference in those seven robes - they were nearly identical."

She chuckles. "Really?" she asks. "Doesn't sound like something he would do - that's a clear sign of nervousness. I can't imagine him being nervous!"

"Maybe he was, or maybe he wasn't," I say, grinning, "but he's nearly as perfectionist when it comes to the running of the events as Draco is about arts and appearance. Severus told me that he used a whole hour pacing his room, practising the words 'I do' for the ceremony."

"You must be kidding!" she giggles. She's so happy that it's wonderful to see.

"I'm not," I say, grinning slightly. "Instead, I'm grave serious. I wish I had done that as well - maybe I'd been able to answer a little bit faster." I really hope I'd been, if not for anything else, hen to make it easier to my beloved Lucius. Five minutes of pregnant silence while waiting for the other one's answer would drive anyone else but a Malfoy crazy. And it really was five minutes - Sirius counted.

We spend a long time going through the pictures. I also name all our relatives to her from the pictures, although she says she won't remember any of them for longer than few minutes.

At last we've seen it all - and that's a lot. Sirius is as eager a photographer as he is a good one. He's filled a whole album with pictures of the actual ceremony, and half of another with all the pairs dancing in the wedding. Well, at least we have certainly enough mementos.

When I at last reach out to put the last album aside, my hand accidentally touchs hers. At the same moment as the sensation of bare skin against another reaches her mind, she yelps and jerks backwards, terrified expression on her face.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Olivia!" I exclaim, genuinely sorry for her. "I should have been more careful. I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's okay," she replies, already gaining back her usual wary calmness. "Really, I don't know what took over me. You don't have to apologize for anything."

"Oh, but I do," I say. "I apologize, Olivia. I's never want to hurt you in any way, dear." I look at her eyes, widened with fear. If I could now face those people who have hurt her enough to make her scared of normal human touch, I don't think I'd even care to hold back the wolf's instincts. I'd simply attack them and tear their throats open.

I shiver. It's rather clear that the full moon will be here soon. Usually, I don't have violent thoughts - although I want to hurt those people even when it's new moon. I'm not the only one, either, I know that. Lucius once told me of some ways he'd thought about to get rid of the remaining Death Eaters - those monsters who can attack a young girl. None of them were legal, neither were they suitable to tell in company of children. In company of anyone, for that matter.

"Remus?" she says, her voice full of concern. "Are you - are you all right?"

I frown my eyebrows, not thinking about what effect that will probably have on her. I'm getting more angry with every passing second. I just scared her out of her skin, and she's now worried about me. She's still a bit scared, but she rather tries to make me feel comfortable than care about herself. This isn't any kind of unselfish gesture, rather, this is another kind of fear. She is afraid to talk about her own feelings, rather trying to prevent others from being disappointed or angry - because, for everything she knows, disappointed or angry people will hurt her.

Hurt her. Hurt a child, and on purpose. Someone's going to die for this.

I look at her, and startle. She looks now totally scared. When my gaze meets hers, she takes a small step backwards, trying to make it look natural. In her grey eyes I see pure fear.

Oh, Merlin. She thinks that my angry gesture was directed to her. She thinks that I'm going to hit her.

"Calm down, Olivia," I say soothingly. "I'm not going to hurt you in any way." I start to reach out to her, but understand the stupidity of that particular gesture just in time. So, I let my hand fall down again, trying to smile comfortingly at her.

"You... you aren't angry?" she asks, still uncertain.

"No, I'm not angry," I tell her. "And even if I was, I still wouldn't hurt you. I don't think it's right to hurt anyone just because you're angry." Then why am I having these thoughts about those genuine Death Eaters? Perhaps because people like them don't deserve anything else. I try to think of any better excuse, but, unfortunately, I find nothing.

"Good," she sighes, seemingly relieved.

"I'm going to my study now," I say to her, smiling soothingly. "I believe Lucius wanted to see you in the lab at some point of the afternoon."

"Oh!" she exclaims, and I see, for my great delight, the fear completely disappearing from her face. "I have to go, I promised to research this particular potion for him." She points at the book she was reading earlier. She tries to show me the recipe, but I shake my head and smile.

"No, thank you," I laugh, "I don't understand anything about that. I can make a difference between Healing Potion and Murderroot Liquid, but that's all." I wave my hand. "Go now. I believe Lucius is already waiting."

"Okay." She grins and runs away with her book.

Once she has left I let my mask drop completely and let all the fury fill me. Once I have set it free, I can face it and fight it. It's strong and it takes a lot from me before I can calm down and consider things sensibly.

The full moon will be the day after tomorrow. The wolf is already taking over me.

I hope Lucius gets my potion ready soon.

* * *

This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

* * *

Remus Malfoy was exhausted.

It was the day of the full moon, and he felt it very well. He was tired all the time, his appetite was miserable, and all his senses were extra sensitive even compared to their usual level, which was far above that of any normal human being.

He felt like being alone, and Lucius noticed it. He and Olivia had spent the whole day in their lab, giving him the opportunity to keep away from everyone. It was always like that around full moons, or it's opposite - he either wanted to be alone or snuggle up to Lucius, being near him all the time. His husband understood and let him have his way, whatever it was each time. Remus was very happy about that. He was the luckiest man in the world to have Lucius, that he was certain about.

Someone knocked on the door. "It's Olivia," he heard a familiar voice saying. "Lucius sent a potion for you."

He sighed deeply. He didn't feel like facing anyone right now - especially not Olivia. It disturbed him a great deal that the girl didn't know yet. He'd like to tell her, but didn't know how. She was emotionally so raw and vulnerable. What if she'd turn against him?

"Remus?" he heard the girl calling again, when he didn't reply. "Remus? Is something wrong?"

"No," he called back. "I'm just fine. Come inside, little one."

She opened the door and looked carefully at him. In her left hand she was holding a goblet full of silvery potion. "I highly doubt Lucius would ever brew potions for someone who's just fine," she pointed out. "And you aren't. I can see it."

"You're right," he admitted with a tired smile while he took the goblet she was offering, placing it on his desk. "I've been a bit weak lately."

She nodded in understanding. "Of course you are," she said with quiet voice. "It takes a great deal from a person, I've heard."

He shot his eyes up to hers. Her grey eyes met his own amber orbs calmly, waiting for him to response. "What - what are you talking about?" he stammered, not really believing that the girl meant what he thought she did.

"Lycanthropy," she stated calmly. "It isn't easy to transform into a wolf, is it?" She raised one dark eyebrow with a questioning expression.

"How -" he tried, but couldn't force the words out from his mouth. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Then he sat down, gesturing the girl to do the same. "How did you find out?" he asked then, trying to arrange his bewildered thoughts.

"No one told me, if you mean that," Olivia said. "But I've been trained by a great Potions Master - maybe Lucius isn't even near to match Severus, but compared with anyone else, he's one of the best. Some may even say that I'm a bit talented myself. And I'm not stupid, at least not as stupid as I maybe look like." She gave him a bit sad smile. "I simply recognized the potion, Remus. The scent, the colour, the thickness, leave alone the period of time of it to be served along your sudden tiredness. And when I asked Lucius - well, he couldn't really do anything else but admit it."

Remus couldn't help but smile. "It took my best friends in Hogwarts over two years to find out," he said, "while I was disappearing regularly, horribly weak around these disappearances, coming up with miserable excuses and acting totally weird all around. And you figure it out in less than a month, only by seeing some potion?" He shook his head. "I'm impressed."

"Why, thank you," Olivia said. "But really, it wasn't that difficult. Particularly not when Wolfsbane was one of the first potions Lucius taught me to do. He said that I would maybe need it in the future. I didn't understand it back then, but now I do."

"Taught you?" Remus echoed, terrified. "But - it's one of the most difficult potios in existence! There are less than ten people in the whole Britain capable of doing that!"

"Really?" Olivia raised again one of her eyebrows. "He didn't tell that to me. It took me three days to brew a succesful potion, but I don't think it was that difficult." She shrugged. "Maybe it's just the fame. If everyone who even knows about it thinks it's almost impossible to make, no one ever even tries it."

"Or maybe most of the people don't have such a perfect teacher," he said, and smiled. He was genuinely proud of his husband. Olivia was right - Severus was the best Potions Master in Britain, but Lucius wasn't so far from his level.

"Lucius said you probably want to be left in peace," Olivia said then. "I'm going now." She eyed the man in front of her warily. "Maybe you should rest some," she suggested then.

"I can't," he sighed, shaking his head tiredly. "I'd love to, but I can't. The wolf is keeping me well awake past midnight." He nodded, gesturing her to leave. He really wanted to be alone now.

She nodded and left the room. After she was gone, Remus sighed deeply in relief. It had gone far better than he'd thought. She seemed to be quite tolerant - but then again, so had Harry been. And she'd already discussed it with Lucius.

He'd later ask Lucius how it had gone. But not right now.

He just wanted to be alone.

.(..¤..).

Lucius glanced sideways at Olivia. "This," he said, opening the heavy door, "is Remus's transformation room."

Olivia peered inside. She saw a huge, comfortable-looking bed, long shelves high on the wall, and a fireplace with bars in front of it.

"You see, Olivia?" Remus asked, smiling tiredly. "This room is made especially for my transformations. All stuff is high so I can't accidentally break them when I'm changing, and the bed is large enough for me to lie comfortably without falling down to the floor while I transform."

"I really see," she replied, glancing around the room. "And a closed fireplace in order to prevent you from falling to the flames, should you start changing too near it, right?"

"Exactly." Remus gave her an approving smile. "You notice just the right things, Olivia. You're rather clever."

The girl blushed a bit. "No, I'm not," she murmured. Then she gained back her calmness and smiled at them. "I'll go forehand," she said. "Am I right to assume that you'll join me soon, Lucius?"

"You're right," the Lord of Malfoy replied. "I'll come soon."

She walked away, leaving them two together for a while.

Remus couldn't say anything. He just looked up to Lucius, who met his gaze with warm, soothing silver eyes.

"I love you, Remus, no matter what," Lucius whispered, stroking gently his cheek. "You know that, don't you?"

"I know," he replied, giving him a little, nervous smile. "And I love you, Lucius. No matter what."

"Good." The other man smiled at him. "And Remus - remember that I love you just as much when you're a wolf."

"I'll remember," he promised. He really wanted to remember. They went through this same conversation every full moon, and it had never been able to prevent him hating himself and getting depressed the day after that, sometimes staying like that for several days.

"See you in the sitting room," Lucius said softly. Then he gently pressed a little kiss on Remus's cheek before closing the door and leaving.

Remus felt suddenly very nervous, just like he always did before his transformation. There were reasons why he didn't want Lucius to be there while it, Wolfsbane or not - not only because he could accidentally hurt his husband while his body was changing, but also because it was very embarrassing - but still it felt odd to be there without him. Usually he had at least Sirius with him, but today there wasn't even his friend to keep him company while he was changing.

He calmly took off his robes and folded them carefully on the little self on the wall. Then he laid himself on the huge bed, waiting for the moonrise.

He didn't have to wait for long.

.:´¨:.( ).:´¨:.

Lucius was sitting with Olivia in he and Remus's personal sitting room. They were seated comfortably in front of the fireplace in two armchairs opposite to each other. Olivia was, unsurprisingly, reading a potions book, and Lucius merely sat there, answering her questions.

Suddenly there was a creaking sound from the door. They both turned around to look at the direction. The door was pushed a bit ajar, and the head of a large wolf peered inside.

"Ah, Remus," Lucius greeted happily. "Come inside, love."

The wolf slipped in through the doorway. He stopped in the middle of the room, looking carefully around himself. Then he started walking towards them, waggling his tail in the air.

"You're beautiful," Olivia praised. "Just beautiful." She looked at the shiny golden fur of the creature, her eyes full of adoring and wonder.

Remus-wolf grinned and nodded his head. He was examining Olivia at the moment, getting used to her scent - of course he already recognized it, he'd so many times smelled it in his human form, but the wolf's sense of smell was far better than even werewolf's.

Olivia stood slowly up, a bit cautious expression on her face. "May - may I touch you?" she asked, looking very careful.

As a response, Remus walked near her and reached out his head to be scratched. She did so, giggling.

Remus waggled his tail even more, a wide wolf-grin on his face. He was still sore and exhausted after the transformation, but Olivia's fingers behind his ears felt good. Just as good, if not better, felt her other hand, petting his back like he was just a big dog.

Lucius smiled at both of them. "As you can see, he really isn't dangerous," he said to Olivia. "Not when he's taken the Wolfsbane. He's just a bit over-grown puppy, although he doesn't like dog food very much."

Remus glared at his husband. Wolves were very good at glaring, and he especially, considering that he'd been a Malfoy for many years running now. His tail continued its movement, though, very much spoiling his attempt to look threatening.

Olivia giggled again. "You're crazy," she said. Then she blushed and hastily covered her mouth. "Sorry," she whispered, the smile quickly fading from her face. "I honestly didn't mean to insult you."

"Don't worry, little one," Lucius said, trying to smile soothingly at her. "I pretty much agree with you. I have to be crazy, for I wouldn't have ever married him if I wasn't."

Remus growled and showed his teeth. Then he gave up the act and walked to his husband to lick his hand. Lucius smiled down at him, then crouched down to scratch him as well.

The time went by rather comfortably. Olivia made some tea for Lucius and herself, and they drank it in silence. Olivia continued reading her book, and Remus lay curled up in Lucius's lap before the fireplace. The blond man ran his fingers slowly through his fur. Remus enjoyed the warm, comfortable sensation of his lover's hands in his fur. The wolf was still in the background of his mind, but the Wolfsbane and Lucius and Olivia's presence made him able to forget it almost completely.

Some time after midnight the slight grasp the wolf had on his mind began to slowly ease as the full moon began to crawl downwards in the sky. Olivia put her book aside, kneeling down next to her two fathers.

Remus rested his head on Lucius's arm, letting the blond man scratch his neck with his long fingers. It felt good. He felt also Olivia scratching and petting his back, and it felt good as well.

"What a happy family," Olivia giggled, a little smile on her lips. "A man, a wolf and a girl."

"Exactly," Lucius said, and smiled. "A happy family."

Remus couldn't response with words, of course, but he waggled his tail sleepily. Then he jawned, a wide, loud wolf-yawn. The other members of his tiny family chuckled.

"Oh, is the little puppy sleepy?" Olivia cooed, smiling slightly. "You should go sleeping, puppy dear. It's late already."

He gave the girl a wide wolf-grin. Then he yawned again and pushed Lucius's chest with his snout. Lucius smiled and petted his head.

"I bet you're right," his husband said to Olivia, getting on his feet. "It's time to call it a night. Right, Moony?" he grinned.

The wolf nodded and licked his hand once again. 'That's right,' he wanted to tell him. 'Let's just go to sleep.'

They parted from Olivia in the corridor. The girl continued her way towards her own bedroom while they went to their own.

Remus jumped on their bed and crawled under the covers. Lucius laughed at him, then undressed himself and came to lay beside him. Remus snuggled up to his husband, resting his head on his chest. Lucius wrapped his arms around him, sinking his fingers into Remus's golden fur.

Remus felt warm and safe and loved. He knew he'd wake up in his human form, still in Lucius's embrace. He was delighted that the changing back to his human form was not only rather painless and easy to him, but also safe for Lucius to be with him, because the claws and fangs would withdraw at first. He just loved falling asleep next to Lucius, and didn't want to give it up even during the full moon.

He felt the calm breath of his husband, his head raising and falling along with the slightly muscular chest beneath him. For him, everything was now nice and happy in the world.

He just hoped it was so for everyone he cared of.

.O.().(...).().O.

Harry couldn't sleep.

He'd had to deal with Ministry officials that day. That always made him think of one particular Ministry official.

Ronald Weasley.

He knew he'd probably never have to meet him again - Ron worked under the Ministry's Family Department, and he had nothing to do with that particular section of the Ministry of Magic, since he and Draco had never thought about adoption or anything alike.

He still both hoped and feared meeting him. Ron had been his very best friend for seven years, after all. All their years at Hogwarts, he'd been with Harry, supported him through the troubles, being with him in every prank they had ever pulled, laughed with him on every good moment, smiling at him when everything was all right and the world was nice and carefree.

He remembered what Ron looked like when he smiled. His blue eyes were filled with joy, the freckled face looking like there was a light inside him. His laughter when Harry said something funny. The twinkle in his eyes when they were up to something.

But then he remembered what Ron had looked like when they met the last time. His eyes had been like blue ice, and instead of smiling, he had been sneering. He had been mad at Harry. He hadn't been laughing, he'd been launching cruel insults, insulting not only Harry himself but also Draco and the love between them, and everyone they cared about - Sirius, Remus, Severus, and Lucius. He had been hurting Harry as much as he could before Hermione had pulled him away. Harry had tried to see something in Hermione's eyes, a clue of approval or understanding. But the only things he had seen had been disgust and hate.

Then they had turned around and walked away. Since that, Harry hadn't seen his two former best friends any more. Not after that their one last meeting at Diagon Alley.

It had been five years now.

"Hold me, Draco," he murmured. "Hold me tight."

His boyfriend wrapped his arms around him and pulled him against his chest. Suddenly, he felt safe.

"Promise one thing, Draco", he whispered.

"Anything, love", Draco murmured. "I'd do anything for you."

"Promise that you'll never leave me."

Draco hugged him even tighter. "I promise, Harry", he said with firm voice. "I love you more than anything. I'll never let you be alone. I'll always be with you."

Harry was silent for a moment. Then he whispered: "I love you, Draco."

"I love you too, Harry."

§

Severus jumped up in his bed. He was panting slightly, his chest raising and falling hastily. His heart was running like a frightened hare.

"What now, love?" Sirius asked sleepily from his side. "What's wrong?"

"The Mark," the Potions Master whispered through clenched teeth, grasping his left forearm. "It's burning again."

Sirius sighed in sympathy and wrapped his arms around his lover. "I'm sorry," he whispered in Severus's jet-black hair. "I'm sorry you still have to suffer because of that heartless bastard."

"I know," Severus replied. He sighed deeply, the pain still stinging him. Then he rested his head on Sirius's shoulder, shivering as the next wave of pain flew over him.

Sirius pulled him closer to himself and mumbled softly in his hair, holding him warmly in his arms. The fingers of his right hand softly caressed Severus's burnt forearm and the ugly mark on it. The Potions Master shivered every time as his fingers slid over it, but it somehow eased the pain, so he was only pleased.

At last the pain went away. He snuggled up to his lover, still enveloped in Sirius's tight embrace. He felt just as miserable as always after the Mark had burned him.

"One day," Sirius whispered, "one day the Mark will be gone. I promise."

Severus looked up into his blue eyes, and saw there only love and sincerity. He suddenly broke into tears, something he did very rarely.

Sirius just held him until he drifted into light, broken sleep.

* * *

A/N: The next chapter: **Christmas**

Expensive presents, funny presents, nice presents, and a little quarrel.


	5. Christmas

Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: Chapter revised.

* * *

..Our Little One. . 

Chapter Five

Christmas

* * *

This chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

* * *

"Oh, what a pity!" Remus exclaimed as he opened a letter he had just got. "Sirius and Severus won't be back until the middle of January!"

"So they can't be here for Christmas?" Lucius asked, seemingly disappointed.

"No," the werewolf said, shaking his head in disappointment. "Sirius says they just can't come yet. Seemingly something is holding them back. But they will come as soon as they can."

(.-:¤¨¤:-.)

"Honestly!" Severus exclaimed with a desperate tone. "I've never been this ashamed in my whole life!"

"Not even when we were snogging on our sixth year and Goyle walked in on us and we had to Obliviate him?" Sirius asked with a small grin.

Severus shot him a glare and then continued with his complaint. "I thought we could have a little bit of fun in the middle of all this work, and what do you do? Get us kicked out of a Muggle children's amusement park!"

"It wasn't my fault!" Sirius said. "We were kicked out because you scared the children. Besides, it wasn't a usual amusement park. It was the Santapark."

He received yet another glare for that. Then Severus turned his back at Sirius, refusing to even look at him.

For a moment they sat in silence. Then Sirius said testingly, "Severus? Are you still mad at me?"

"I should be," the other man replied bitterly. "We went there to meet Santa Claus, after all - and, thanks to you, we had to go away before we caught a glimpse of the man himself!"

"How was I supposed to know that customers weren't allowed to touch the reindeer?" Sirius scowled.

"Actually, we were," Severus disagreed. "But there's a little bit difference between petting or scratching them and that what you did."

"What did I do, then?" Sirius asked innocently.

"You know damn well what you did! You mounted one of the reindeers and shouted out every name of Santa's reindeer you remembered, trying to make it fly!"

"What's so bad about that? They're supposed to fly, after all, aren't they?"

"You behaved like a four-year-old, that's what's so bad! You're a grown man, Sirius, over forty! Even in our society, you're supposed to behave like an adult at this age!"

"What fun would that be?" Sirius replied - pretty childishly, he had to admit.

He got no reply.

A few moments went past in an uncomfortable silence.

At last Sirius reached out a hand to touch his husband's shoulder. "Severus," he said, "I don't think -"

"That's just the point," the Slytherin said bitterly. "You never think. Nothing else matters to you but your own pleasure and amusement. You never think about how it could affect the others, or what the others would think about it, or anything else."

"I can't believe you just said that," Sirius said, raising an eyebrow. Severus? Talking about paying regard to other people and their feelings? Even after Sirius had returned, Severus was still nasty to people he didn't like, and could sometimes say something pretty painful even to those he cared about. He loved Severus with all his heart, but he knew what his husband was like, and this was completely unlike Severus.

"Well, I did," Severus said, still sounding bitter. "You never care. Did you care at Santapark about how I would feel? Did you even think about how embarrassed I'd possibly be? No. You wanted to have fun, so you had fun, consequences be damned!"

'_Spoilsport,_' word came to Sirius's lips, but he bit his teeth together to stop the word from falling out. He knew that Severus was really angry now, and would probably kill him if he dared to say anything stupid anymore.

"Mister Black is so great that he doesn't have to follow rules! He can behave like a little child if he happens to feel like it! Let the others be adults, Mister Black can be a teenager forever! He can _say_ anything he wants - who cares about his poor husband and his feelings!"

Sirius blinked. This obviously wasn't just about some unfortunate trip to an amusement park. He had said something that had upset Severus - and now he was seemingly going to pay for it.

"You never think before you act! You say just what comes to your mind, you don't have to care about how it affects _me_, you can insult me whenever you like -"

"Severus," he interrupted, "could you say just _what_ is disturbing you right now?"

"He doesn't even know!" Severus continued his complaint. "Great Mister Black doesn't care about his husband enough to even know what is wrong! He doesn't have to remember his words for a time longer than he needs to open his mouth again!"

Sirius crawled nearer and wrapped his arms around Severus's shoulders. The other man stiffened, but he didn't care. "The only Mister Black who's great at the moment could be quiet for a while and listen," he murmured into his ear. "The poor Mister Black would want to apologize. We both know that I say things I don't really mean, and that I can be very unthoughtful sometimes. Whatever I've now said to make you upset, I apologize for that. I also apologize for my childish behaviour. You're right, I was stupid. But all I can do is to beg your forgiveness."

Severus didn't reply.

"Sev?" he asked, leaning forward to peck his husband on the cheek. "I'm really sorry, I honestly am. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course," Severus sighed. "I'm sorry also, Sirius. I overreacted, and badly. But you know how I am - pile things inside me until I'm too angry to think."

"At least you just whine," Sirius said with a little smile, pulling Severus in his lap. "Remus holds it inside just the same way, but when he breaks up, the explosion scares dragons away. Shit, he scared even Lucius last time I witnessed their row, and that's a lot!"

"So true," the Slytherin replied. Then he glared at Sirius. "Except that I don't whine."

"Oh, you do," Sirius chuckled, kissing his husband's hair. "But that's okay, Sev. You're cute when you whine."

"Immature brat," the other man murmured and poked his side.

"Prissy girl."

"Lousy Gryffindor."

"Slutty Slytherin."

"And that you like, don't you?"

Sirius smiled and kissed Severus right on the mouth. "Can't complain," he admitted.

(.-:¤¨¤:-.)

There were a few little parcels on the table. Remus sat in a nearby chair, not making any attempt to even look at them, never mind touching them.

"Why don't you take those?" Lucius asked, looking surprised.

"I'd rather not," Remus said with an embarrassed grin. "Every part of the wolf in me screams 'Don't touch!' every time I put my hand near the pile, and I don't think I'd like burned hands for Christmas."

"Oh," Lucius said, understanding his mate's worries. "Silver. Somewhat expected of Severus, wouldn't you say?" He smiled. His former brother-in-law was really fond on silver, and he tried to make everyone around him as surrounded by silver as he himself was - excluding Remus, of course. He knew better than to give silver stuff to a werewolf.

Olivia came to the room. She stopped as she saw the presents on the table, obviously curious to know what they were for.

"These are for you," Lucius said, giving her two parcels. "You may open them now. We'll save the other presents for tomorrow, but Sirius said in his letter that the presents are opened at Christmas Eve in Finland, where they currently are, so I'd guess it's okay to open their presents now."

"For me?" the girl asked, looking surprised. She took the presents, however.

"That one is from Sirius, I believe," Remus said, pointing at the one with blue wrappers. "And the other one is from Severus."

She opened carefully the blue one. There was a letter and an odd-looking quill inside. The quill had one tip, but two feathers - like wings. She stared at it, astonished. "I've never seen anything like this," she said.

"I know what that is," Lucius said, and smiled a bit. "Read the letter."

"Okay," she replied, and looked at the parchment. "'Merry Christmas, Olivia,'" she read aloud. "'Since we can't be there for Christmas, Severus and I decided to send you presents by owl. This is a Voice-Quill. When activated, it'll write down anything you say. Lucius and Severus both have one, they say it's useful when they're brewing potions and want to write down something, so I thought you'd like to have one, too. You just have to write something on a sheet of parchment before using it for the first time so it'll learn your handwriting. Waiting to meet you, Sirius Black.'"

"Those _are_ really useful, you know," Lucius said. "Most of the potions have to be watched very carefully, so when I have to take notes, it'd be impossible if I didn't have one of those." He gestured towards the green parcel, which was slightly larger than the blue one. "Go ahead, open the next one."

She did so. From inside, she found some object wrapped inside another letter. She opened the letter, revealing a snake-shaped test-tube holder. "Oh, this is beautiful!" she exclaimed.

Remus laughed when he saw the present Severus had sent. "Just like him," he laughed. "Snakes. Sirius says Severus's lab is full of snake-shaped stuff. According to him, even the mixing spoons have snake-shaped handles."

"Why don't you know for sure?" Olivia asked, astonished. "Haven't you ever been there?"

"Of course not," Remus chuckled. "Everything is not only snake-shaped, but also made of silver. That holder you got it pure silver - I'd burn my whole arm if I ever tried to touch it. That's why I didn't touch those parcels. I sensed I'd hurt myself even through the parchment and the wrappings."

"Pure silver?" she whispered, looking at the holder. Her eyes were very wide. "Why'd he ever give me something so expensive? I've never even met him!"

Lucius snorted. "Talk about expensive," he laughed. "Olivia, dear, they have more money than they can ever count. They both go to work in order to not get bored, but they really have no need for that. Honestly, if a man can get a lab full of silver only because he happens to like the looks of it, why couldn't he send you a single test-tube holder? Especially as the said laboratory is the largest private one in existence!"

"Talk about spending for the lab," Remus said, imitating Lucius's tones just right. Then he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Lucius keeps all silver stuff in another lab to keep me safe, so what does he buy the larger laboratory full of? Platinum!"

"Pure metals are best for potions equipment," Lucius said innocently. "And I've never liked gold or copper or anything like that."

Olivia was shocked. "Platinum?" she echoed. "You can't be serious! There are hundreds of tube holders and cauldrons and all there!"

"So?" Lucius shrugged. "What's the point of having money, if you don't use it?" Then he laughed. "Try to get used to it, Olivia. We all have more money than you can probably imagine. You can get practically anything you happen think of."

Olivia merely shook her head, still a bit shocked. Then she smiled slightly. "I'd better take these to my table in the large lab, wouldn't you say?" she said.

"In fact, I have a better idea." Lucius smirked, looking suddenly very cunning. "Follow me, little one. I'll show you something."

Olivia looked a bit surprised, but then she shrugged and followed the blond man.

"We'll be back after a while," Lucius said over his shoulder to his husband before leaving with the girl.

Remus shook his head in amusement. If he guessed right what Lucius was up to, Olivia would soon get the greatest surprise in her life - and very probably the most pleasant one as well.

..:´¨:..

It was an almost empty room. There were several tables scattered around ther room, all of them having only magic keeping them up, no legs at all. A reading table and some empty bookshelves stood in one corner of the room, and there were also long tables along the two longer walls, purple magic fires burning in little holes on regular distances. There was a heavy oak door in the other end of the room.

"I've never seen this before," Olivia said, looking around her. "This looks like a laboratory, but where's all the equipment? Cauldrons and the like? And what's this for?"

"This is your lab from now on," Lucius explained and smiled. "An early Christmas present. You can get here any equipment you want, of any metal you want. And behind that door... Well, maybe you'd like to go and see yourself."

She obeyed, her eyes wide of surprise. When she opened the door and saw a tidy closet full of ingredients, she gasped in surprise. "There's - there's everything here!" she exclaimed. "Lizard ears and healing herbs and - oh my, is that dragon blood over there? There's every legal potion ingredient in stock!"

"Right, and not a few illegal ones," Lucius said, and smirked. "I got you anything I have in my own stock. You can do anything you only please with these."

"Really?" she asked, her face beaming in delight. "Oh, thank you so much!"

"You're welcome," he said, grinning. "We can go shopping for the equipment right next week if you want. I've also owled Severus, and he's promised to bring some stuff that can't be found in Britain - it's faster that way than ordering them from abroad."

"Why do you all help me so much?" she asked warily. "I haven't even met him once, and he still promises to help me!"

"You're the youngest in the family now, dear," Remus said from the doorway. "We all want to spoil you as much as we can."

"Remus!" Lucius said happily. "Take a careful look around now. If Olivia wants so, this room will be so full of silver that you'll burn your hand if you touch the door!"

Remus laughed. "I've got not intentions to come here later." He grinned. "You know very well that I've been in the large lab only three times this year. I hated Potions back at school, and I still have a strong dislike towards any lab or alike." Then he smiled, and continued, "I only came down here to remind you that Harry and Draco will be here in an hour."

"Really? We shouldn't linger here for too long, then," Lucius replied. "Olivia? Go and get yourself ready. I'll send a house-elf to fetch you when my son and Harry arrive."

"All right." She smiled before slipping out of the room.

"How did she like it?" Remus asked as he and Lucius started to make their way towards their own rooms.

"She was delighted," Lucius replied. "Just like we thought she would be."

"Good," his werewolf husband said, smiled. "She's a wonderful girl, she deserves to be happy."

"And she will be," Lucius said with a determined voice. "She will be, if I have a say in it."

Remus merely nodded in prefect agreement.

§-)(-§

Christmas Day.

The whole Malfoy family - all four members of it - and one of the half-members were gathered in the large sitting room of the Malfoy Manor after the dinner. Remus and Lucius were sitting on one couch, Harry and Draco on another, and Olivia had cuddled up comfortably in a large armchair.

Draco glanced at them. Remus was wearing his usual, simply cut robes, today in a nice, deep blue colour. He had seemingly talked Lucius into wearing green robes instead of his usual black, and Draco had to admit that the dark green dress robe - with the Malfoy snake across the chest, of course - made his father pretty good-looking.

Draco smiled as Harry slipped his arm over his shoulders. They were both currently wearing a sweater and trousers - Harry had a green sweater and golden brown trousers, while Draco himself had a red sweater and silver grey trousers. The Christmas colours, indeed - or Gryffindor and Slytherin, although mixed up.

At last, he fixed his eyes on Olivia. The girl was wearing one of the Malfoy dresses - pale green silk with silver lining - and had one equally Malfoy-ish shawl over her shoulders, the silvery crest in the green cloth placed exactly in the middle of her back. A thin, silver necklace with an emerald pendant was her only jewellery. She looked rather pretty - and a living exemplar of the perfect Mistress of the Malfoy Manor. Her outfit was exactly like those Draco's grandmother had used to wear, and if he hadn't known better, he would have sworn that she had been born to be a Malfoy. His mother, for example, had only worn Malfoy clothes and jewellery in official occasions, where it had been expected. Olivia obviously liked the idea of belonging into a family.

Well, he certainly couldn't blame her.

They were following the usual Christmas tradition of their family: Everyone got most of their presents in the morning without the names of the givers, and after the dinner everyone gave one personal present to everybody else - a tradition created by a whole lot of money, an eagerness to spoil their loved ones rotten, and not enough time or patience to thank everyone specifically for every present. All the adults had already opened their presents and their eyes were now fixed on Olivia, who was yet to receive her own.

"My present," Draco said and grinned, handing out a parcel with silver wrappings, "is here." He looked attentively at the girl, who started to open it carefully. Before long she revealed the present, looking confused. She read the little note Draco had attached and, much to Draco's great delight, laughed happily.

"Thank you," Olivia said, giving him a wide, bemused smile. "This is just what I need!"

"What is it, then?" asked Harry curiously. Harry knew almost every present he had bought to the girl, or to anyone excluding Harry himself - mostly clothes - but Draco had wanted at least the most personal presents to be surprises to his boyfriend. Besides, he had highly doubted if Harry would think it was appropriate, so he hadn't even asked him.

Olivia lifted the strange-looking object up for the others to see. It was a silver snake pendant - Draco was a Malfoy himself, after all - and there were three jewels, a ruby, a sapphire and an emerald magically attached to it.

"I still don't know what it is," Harry complained.

Olivia grinned and took the piece of parchment Draco had put in the parcel again in her hand. "'Snog-O-Meter,'" she read aloud. "'The higher the jewels are on the snake's neck, the greater is the sexual tension between the couples they're presenting. If the jewel is near the snake's head, keep away in order to prevent shocks. The ruby is for Harry and Draco, the sapphire for the Blacks, and the emerald for Malfoys. More jewels can be attached later to present other couples.'"

"Somehow expected of you, Draco," Lucius snorted. "Honestly, is there anything other in your head but clothes and sex?" He was smiling, however, so Draco supposed he was just as amused as Olivia herself.

"What are the jewels currently showing?" Remus asked curiously, with a little smile on his lips.

"Well, you four are all somewhere along the middle of the snake," Olivia smiled. "But the sapphire is - uh-oh."

"What now?" Draco asked, equally curious.

"It just moved on top of the snake's head," she said, and giggled.

"Well, at least we know they are enjoying themselves," Draco laughed.

Lucius leaned a bit forward, with a cunning grin on his face. "So you said our jewels are somewhere around the middle?" he asked, bemused.

Olivia nodded. As she did that, Lucius grinned even more broadly. Then he suddenly pulled Remus into his lap and, much to the werewolf's surprise and the others' amusement, pulled him into a passionate kiss.

"Uh-oh," Olivia said as they stopped. "The emerald just jumped almost an inch upwards - which is a lot, considering that the whole metre is about five inches of length."

Lucius chuckled and Remus shot his husband a mock-glare, but he was smiling, like everybody else. Draco was delighted to see them happy - he highly doubted their mood would be that high for the whole night.

But, Olivia was yet to get the rest of her presents. So on with it.

"This is for you," Harry said and gave her a polished oak box. She looked confused at first, but when she opened it, she squealed in delight.

"Oh, thank you!" she said, lifting a necklace and two large earrings from the box. There was a magpie with a broomstick in the necklace and a little broomstick on each earring. "These are very nice. Very Quidditch-y," she added with a grin.

"They should be," Harry laughed. "Those are the official Montrose Magpies jewellery. Only the players and their families are allowed to buy and wear them."

"Really?" she asked, looking surprised. "Then I'll wear them to every one of your matches I watch!"

"That's what I thought." Harry grinned.

"This is from me," Remus said and gave her a parcel with warm golden wrappers. "I hope you like it."

"That we don't know before I've opened it, right?" The girl smiled. Olivia seemed to have relaxed at last. She ripped of the papers and saw what was inside. "How cute!" she exclaimed. "Totally huggable! Oh, thank you, Remus!" She hugged the large, golden-furred wolf plushie she had found in the parcel and grinned. "I just hope he'll get along with my other plushies," she joked.

"What are you going to call him?" Draco asked, grinning.

"Moony, of course," she smiled, placing the wolf into her lap. "Remus has also bought me a black dog plushie named Padfoot, two black panthers called Lucius and Severus, a small cat-devil I've named Draco, and a husky named Harry. I used to have a Wormtail as well, but I'm afraid Lucius and Severus ate him."

"You can't be serious!" Harry exclaimed.

"I'm grave serious," she replied. "I left them alone one morning, and when I got back, I couldn't find Wormtail anywhere, and both panthers had rather satisfied looks on their faces."

"Plushies don't eat each other," Remus pointed out. "Not even in he Wizarding World."

"If one of them is Wormtail, then they do," Harry said, stepping on Olivia's side. Then he looked very interested. "Did you say that your Draco is a cat-devil?"

"Pretty much so," she replied, smiling. "At least it looks like a cute, black cat, but it has a nasty grin and orange horns on its forehead, so it obviously is a devil."

"Sounds just like my son," Lucius laughed. "He is a little devil, indeed - during my and Remus's honeymoon he called us every five minutes and wouldn't leave us in peace before I had promised to hex him to the moon if he didn't stop bothering us."

"I just wanted to get you out of your hotel room," Draco said, smiling a bit sheepishly. "Knowing you, you wouldn't have left it for a single moment if I hadn't forced you outside!"

Remus blushed a bit, but Lucius was just as calm as usually. "In fact, it wasn't even my promises to hex him," he told Olivia. "He wouldn't stop until I had told him I'd visit him personally three times a day on _his_ honeymoon, should Harry ever be stupid enough to marry him."

Olivia giggled. "You shouldn't have said that," she said, and smiled sweetly. "Now Harry'll never dare to propose to Draco!"

"Well..." Lucius smiled when he saw the slight flush on both of the younger men's faces. "Maybe we could still discuss that bit," he said, a small twinkle in his eyes. "He left us in peace at last, after all."

"And demanded to get wizarding photos of all the famous sights in Paris," Remus reminded dryly. "In the morning, two different times during the day and in the evening, not to forget at night. He wanted to make sure we really were outside, too."

Draco grinned. "And you were, weren't you?" he asked. "That's the point of being on a honeymoon - spending time together in beautiful places! You can shag each other senseless whenever you want, but you only have one honeymoon!"

"Drop it, Draco," Harry said, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. "Enough already."

"And he counted all the best stores in to the sights," Lucius said, seemingly not ready to drop the topic just yet. "It took forever to get Remus out of them. Maybe that was why he picked them also," he added dryly.

"No," Draco said, smiling mischievously. "It was because Harry had promised to take me to every place you took pictures of."

They all laughed. Or, rather, Remus and Draco laughed, Olivia giggled, and Harry and Lucius exchanged desperate glances before rolling their eyes towards the ceiling.

After they had all settled down a bit, Lucius took something from his pocket and presented it to Olivia. "My other present for you," Lucius said, and smiled. "You won't become a real Mistress before you're sixteen, but at least I can give you this." The blonde man handed her a seal ring, very old-looking, with the Malfoy crest in it.

"Thank you," Olivia said, slipping it in her finger. "This is similar to yours, isn't it?" She glanced at the seal ring in her blonde father's hand.

"Yes, it is," Lucius admitted, grinning a bit. "But it's not just a seal ring. Instead, it has some power, Olivia, like all the other rings of ours. Look." He walked to the nearest mirror, touching it with his own seal ring. A weird, silvery mist immediately spread onto the surface of the mirror, hiding his reflection from sight. "Who are in this room right now?" he asked with a commanding voice.

"Master, Second Master, Young Master, and Young Mistress of Malfoy Manor, and Master of Potter Place," the mirror replied with a cool female voice.

"See?" Lucius smirked, turning back towards Olivia. "The Manor is one big creature, no matter how inanimate it maybe looks like, and the mirrors are the way to access its power. With these rings, it's under our command."

Remus smiled slightly and lifted his own ring in the air. "Mine is made of platinum," he told. "All the originals are of course made of silver, but since I obviously can't have a silver ring in my hand, well..." He shrugged and smiled. "It's good we have money. It was rather expensive to create a magically similar ring of different metal."

"I'm surprised Dad didn't get it made of diamonds," Draco said dryly. "Considering his usual taste of materials, that is."

"Well, he tried," Remus chuckled. "But it turned out that the magic that activates the mirrors can only be placed on metal rings, so he picked platinum instead."

The rest of the night went rather comfortably, talking and - at least on Remus and Olivia's part - eating chocolate.

At some point Remus suddenly got onto his feet, pulling Lucius up with him. "We have something to do," he said, smiling at the others. "We'll be back in a minute."

Draco and Harry replied the older pair's smiles with carefree grins, which were just as faked as theirs were. Olivia, however, was seemingly too concentrated on trying to catch a Chocolate Frog to notice the sudden change in the atmosphere, although she usually seemed to see through every facade or faked emotion.

The three youngest people were left alone. Olivia didn't say anything, and the men didn't have anything to discuss, either. Draco just snuggled up to his lover, staring at the magical fire in the fireplace, and let his thoughts wander around.

"May I go and fetch my book from my room?" Olivia asked suddenly.

"Of course, go ahead," Draco replied, smiling at her. "And Olivia, stop asking permission for every tiny thing. You're the Mistress of Manor, or at least you will be on your sixteenth birthday. Do as you please, we're the guests here."

She gave them a nervous smile, then got onto her feet and walked out of the room. Draco gave Harry a careful glance. His boyfriend smiled sadly at him, then glanced at the now empty doorway.

For a long moment, neither of them said anything.

>>>

Olivia didn't know what to do.

She had somehow turned at the wrong corner during the way to her room. Now she was completely lost, all these stairways and corridors around her, leading Merlin knew where. Of course she could turn around and try to return the same way she had come, but she was afraid she'd only get even more lost. If she continued walking, she'd eventually end up in some familiar place.

Or so she hoped with all her heart.

Suddenly, she heard something. She couldn't quite tell what it was, but it was definitely a sound. And there were no sounds in Malfoy Manor for no reason. It was either Remus and Lucius, or some house-elf or ghost. Anyway, they could show her the right way.

She quickly went around the corner to see the source of the sound. When she saw it, she froze.

Olivia stared down the corridor. In the end of it she saw a little room, its door wide open. In the room she saw her both adopted fathers, kneeling in front of something she couldn't see properly. Lucius had his hand on Remus's shoulder, and the werewolf was seemingly crying, considering his trembling shoulders and the little sobbing sound that had caught her ear in the first place.

Olivia suddenly got an uncomfortable feeling, like she was spying on something very intimate and secret. She backed away and felt her back colliding with a cold, smooth surface of a mirror. Fortunately she didn't make any sound, but she got frightened and turned around in an instant.

She soon came back to her senses and pressed her ring against the mirror, making the silvery mist appear onto its surface. "What's the fastest way to my room?" she whispered, hoping that the mirror would reply quietly. She didn't want to alarm the two men.

"Just step inside, Young Mistress," replied the same cool voice that had spoken to Lucius, but now with the hushed tone Olivia herself had used.

Olivia was surprised, but obeyed immediately, stepping inside the large mirror. To her great surprise she didn't meet the glass of the mirror. Instead of that, she stepped out of the large mirror in her own room.

She glanced around to make sure she was indeed in the right room. This was just too bizarre to believe. But yes, she was in her own room. The mirror had brought her right where she had wanted to go.

She saw her book and grasped on it, clutching it like it was an anchor keeping her in the world of sanity. She had experienced far too many surprises for one day. All she wanted to do was to curl up in a comfortable armchair and concentrate on her book. Potions were something she could understand, and control as she pleased. Not mirrors that worked like doors, not her new guardians crying for no seeming reason. Only potions. Normal, understandable potions with no surprises, if you made them carefully.

She walked to the door and hurried away towards the master sitting room.

,',',

Everything was comfortable and nice and quiet. Draco and Harry were talking quietly together. Olivia had wrapped a blanket around herself and snuggled up in an armchair, her large recipe book open in her lap. Every now and then she took a new piece of chocolate, tugged it into her mouth and turned the page.

Suddenly the door was opened. They all raised their eyes, waiting to see the two Masters of the Manor. To their surprise they only saw Lucius, walking inside with his always-present cane.

"Where's Remus?" Olivia asked curiously. She tried to ignore the disturbing thought in the back of her mind, nagging at her, '_I shouldn't have been there, I shouldn't have seen them, they'd go mad at me if they knew..._'

"He was a bit tired," Lucius said with a smile. "He went resting for a while." Olivia immediately saw that his smile wasn't genuine, though. She had become very good at reading people's feelings - more like a protective reflex than a real talent, but still useful - and she knew that Lucius was just as 'tired' as Remus. Most probably he had cried, too.

What was it that was distracting them? What could make them so upset at Christmas? Olivia wanted to know. She couldn't ask them, as she didn't want them to get mad at her, but she needed to know. If she knew what was upsetting them, she could avoid the topic and thus stop them from becoming angry at her.

Yes. She had to know what was going on.

And she saw only one way to get to know.

(.-:¤¨¤:-.)

Olivia stared in front of herself in frustration. This was the right corridor, she was sure about that. She recognized the pictures on the walls, the carpet on the floor, everything. She had even asked the mirror in the end of the corridor, no matter how nervous it made her to trust a seemingly inanimate object. This was indeed the right corridor.

But there was no door. No door, no entrance, not even a little hole in the solid stone wall. There were no other doors in the corridor, only this wall in the end of it. A dead end. The whole corridor seemed to be built in order to fill some waste space.

But she had seen them, hadn't she? The open door, and the room, and the two crying men inside. She hadn't dreamed.

But now they weren't there. Only a thick, hard wall, preventing her finding any of those.

'_Maybe I could crash it with a spell,_' she thought. Oh, yes. Very funny, indeed.

She kicked the wall in frustration and marched away. Seemingly the secret of her guardians was to stay unrevealed for still some time to come.

* * *

Next chapter: **Potions, Potions, Potions**

A nasty shopkeeper, Remus & Olivia in a cloth store, and Olivia brews a potion. Or many of them. And Sev and Siri show up again.


	6. Potions, Potions, Potions

Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: Why are my Sev/Siri parts always angsty? Hmm...

Again, this chapter is dedicated to **Airiel**.

Chapter revised.

* * *

..Our Little One..

Chapter Six

Potions, Potions, Potions

* * *

This part of the chapter is from Lucius Malfoy's point of view.

* * *

I glance at Olivia. She's looking through the shelves. She reaches out a hand to feel a bunch of herbs just as the shopkeeper steps into the sight.

"Don't touch anything you can't afford, girl," the shopkeeper says sharply. She pulls her hand back and looks frightened.

I narrow my eyes. This is maybe the best potions store in Britain, but I still don't like the shopkeeper. He's sharp-tongued, nasty, and a pure bastard in general. I know that's the way people usually describe me, but really, I'm an angel compared with him.

"Didn't you hear?" he shouts. "If you aren't going to buy anything, just get out of here!"

"If she goes," I say, stepping in his sight, "then I will go as well."

They both turn around to look at me. Olivia looks relieved, and I walk beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. To my great delight she lets me keep my hand there and doesn't jerk away. The shopkeeper just stares at me, his jaw hanging open. Obviously, he hadn't expected anything like this.

"We'll leave this shop right now, if you don't apologize to my daughter," I inform him. "And believe me, that'd be a great loss to you."

"L-Lord Malfoy," he stammers. "I didn't know - I didn't realize -"

"Well, now you do. Apologize to her. Now," I command him. Maybe I could be more polite, but he's got me angry - no, furious. He should be happy I haven't hexed him yet.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Malfoy," he mumbles, managing even a little bow. Unbelievable. With a body like his - short and fat, like a barrel - you'd think it's impossible to him to even bend his head. "I didn't realize who you are. I'm honoured to have the daughter of such a great Potions Master as your father in my store."

"Oh, really," I snort. He's really getting on my nerves. "Get us everything on this list, right now. And Olivia?"

"Yes?" she replies, sounding still very cautious.

"Go ahead looking around the store. Pick anything you want, and I'll buy you that," I tell her.

"Anything?" she asks, looking surprised.

"Anything," I renew my promise. "Whatever you want - a quill holder or a flying tray - it's yours."

She nods happily and smiles. I turn towards the shopkeeper. "Is there anything on the list you don't understand?" I ask him.

"Well... I'm sorry, but there's 'three sets of cauldrons'. What metal should they be of?"

"What do you want, Olivia?" I ask her. "Usually valuable metals are the best. Gold? Silver? Platinum? Copper? What would you like most?"

"Umm... Silver," she replies after thinking for a while. "But I think at least one set should be of some other metal for potions that don't stand silver, right?"

"Right." She's a clever girl, you can't deny it. "Let's say... Two silver and one platinum set. And if anything else is too difficult for you to comprehend, you can ask right from my daughter," I tell the shopkeeper. "And Olivia? Just say what you want. There's no point in me telling what should be get. It's your lab, after all. You decide."

She nods again and continues examining the shelves. I continue getting supplies for my own lab; I've run short of some ingredients, and the test-tubes just keep getting broken.

"Don't bother," I mention as I see she's stopped in front of a shelf full of different kinds of test-tubes. "I already ordered you two sets of crystal, two of glass and one of every common gem."

"Really?" she asks, looking surprised. "But why? I heard in the orphanage that they need only glass in Hogwarts!"

"You've already done some potions far more complex than those they teach at school," I remind her. "You'll soon get to the point where glass simply isn't enough. Many more difficult potions require just the right materials to react properly. Don't bother your head with any basic equipment - look for the luxury instead." Remus would probably say that diamond test-tubes _are_ luxury, but then again, he knows nothing about potions. Many of Potions Master leveled potions require diamond instruments, and she'll eventually get there. Better to get them beforehand than too late.

She in fact follows my instructions. When she's done, she shows me three decorative test-tube holders, two cutting knives and several sets of glass phials for storing the potions, as well as labels for the phials. "Can I have these?" she asks almost shyly.

I do my best to not to smirk. When I got Draco shopping for his own lab for the first time, he bought at least twice as much extra stuff - and he didn't spend even half as much time in the lab as she does. He is interested in potions, and pretty good in them, but he's more like Narcissa than like me, since he has never been interested enough to become a Potions Master like I. His interests lay in other areas - for example Quidditch, and especially some particular Montrose Magpies Seeker.

"Of course," I promise. "Don't you remember? Anything you want. I meant what I said, Olivia."

When we go to the counter, she gasps when she sees all the stuff the shopkeeper has collected. "Are these all for me?" she asks, almost shocked.

"Of course," I reply and glance quickly through the stuff. Cauldrons, mixing bowls and spoons, measuring equipment, test-tubes, basic glass bottles, a few notebooks, knives, different kinds of powdering equipment, and some potions books. Good. It looks like everything is there.

I add the stuff she's collected to the pile and put my own purchases on another. "Pack these," I tell the shopkeeper.

He does so, muttering something under his breath while saying the spells. I pay him - the sum doesn't sound even big to me, but Olivia looks terrified as she hears it - and give Olivia the small package containing her stuff. "Put this into your pocket," I advise her.

"Okay," she smiles, pocketing the little parcel. "And where are we going now?"

"Well, I'd guess we're going to the bookstore," I say, smirking, as we step out of the dim store. "I bet Remus hasn't got to the end of the first shelf yet."

She chuckles. "Don't underestimate him," she says. "He's at least half through the second one!" We both laugh when we walk to the bookstore.

When we step inside, Remus doesn't even look up from the book he's been glancing through. He has a few more on a table next to him. Every book I can see on the pile is in some way or another about Lycanthropy. The book in his hands is titled, "_The Cure - Does It Exist?_"

My poor dear. I'd want to go and embrace him, but I doubt he'd appropriate that gesture right now. "Are you ready to go?" I ask instead. "It's over midday already, and I know you two are going to spend an eternity at Madam Malkin's."

"Oh!" he exclaims, seemingly now waking up of his "book-slumber", like we others call it. When he's reading, he doesn't know anything about the world around him. Books are to him pretty much like potions are to me and especially to Severus - a legal drug. "Did you get your stuff, Olivia?"

"I really did," she says, and grins. "Lucius bought me more than I'll ever use - but at least I'm going to try my best."

"I figured so," he laughs, collecting the books and walking to the counter. He pays and spells the book into a package similar to those containing our potions stuff. Pocketing it, he grins at us both. "What about an ice-cream before I take Olivia buying clothes and we can both drive Lucius mad?" he suggests.

"Ice-cream?" I echo. "Are you probably nuts? It's the end of December!"

"And your point is?" he snorts. "I take that as a 'no'. What about you, Olivia?" He turns towards the girl, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"I'd love to," she says, and grins. "There's no better time for an ice-cream than when it's cold."

"Listen to her, Lucius," Remus laughs. He looks so beautiful when he laughs. "Your daughter has more brains than you!"

"I'd rather say that your daughter has even less brains than you do," I say, and smirk. "Ice-cream in the middle of winter! You're both absolutely nuts. But then again, you can eat anything you want, as long as you don't try to force me to eat it as well." Really. Remus has odd taste in many things, but this is the one I'll never be able to understand.

"How nice of you, Lucius," Remus chuckles, starting to lead our way to Florean Fortescue's.

* * *

"I can't take those, Remus!" Olivia protests.

"Why?" Remus asks, holding up some robes. "Don't you like silk, dear?"

"Yes, I do," she says and sighes. "But they're going to be for lab use! One drop of a potion, and they'll be spoiled!"

"And?" Remus looks very astonished. He seemingly doesn't understand at all. "Why couldn't you look pretty in lab as well?"

I decide to step in to the situation. "Take them, Olivia, if you like them," I advise her. "If you don't, then take something else. Anything you like. We have enough money to buy you new robes every day, if need be. I myself wear always velvet in lab, because I feel comfortable in it."

"Yeah," Remus verifies, now undestanding the problem. "Take what feels good to you, dear. Don't think about the cost."

"Well..." She looks thoughtful. "If it's up to me..."

"It is," I tell her. "It's completely up to you what you wear. Just make your pick."

"Then I'll take these," she says, lifting some robes up from a nearby pile. Velvet, so dark green that it's almost black. Short sleeves, tight chest and wide hem. "The hem isn't narrow so it won't slow me down when I walk around, nor will the sleeves be in the way."

"They look okay for me," I say and shrug. "I think five sets would be enough at first, right?"

"Right," Remus says. Then he grins. "And now we're going to buy you some every-day clothes," he says to Olivia. She grins back.

"I'll leave," I say hastily. I'm not too eager to spent the rest of the day merely waiting for them. "I have some business in Gringotts, and then I'll go home."

"Spoilsport," Remus laughs.

I lean forward and kiss him lightly on the lips. "See you later," I say, and he smiles.

"Later," he replies, and his eyes are already wandering towards all the clothing around.

Then I walk out of the store, leaving them alone with their affection.

* * *

It's very late when they return. They both have satisfied smiles on their faces and not a few packings in their pockets. Olivia is wearing a new, fur-lined winter cloak, and has new gloves on as well.

"Spent your time well, I see," I say dryly. Then I give Olivia a shiny silver key.

"What's this?" she askes, astonished.

"The key to your vault in Gringotts," I reply.

"I don't have a vault," she says warily.

"You have one now." I smirk slightly. "Vault number 472. An useful amount of money will be transferred from my vault every month. Use as you please."

Her eyes are very wide. "Thank you," she whispers.

"You're welcome." I smile at her, trying to relax her a bit. "Give the packages here," I say to her then. "I can open them and then house-elves can carry them wherever they belong to. Okay?"

"Of course it's okay," she says, smiles. "I'll first go and arrange the clothes and then the potions stuff."

"Good." She lays her packages down onto the floor, clothes on one point and the potions equipment some way away. A wave of my wand and some more muttered words, and the objects in the packages return to their original size.

I gasp when I see the amount of clothes they've purchased. "Unbelievable," I whisper. "Did you left anything into the store?"

"I wouldn't have bought so much," Olivia hasties to say with a bit defensive tone, "but Remus practically forced me to!"

"I believe that," I laugh. "It's no problem, Olivia, really. I was just teasing. I kind of expected something like this - Remus is definitely not one to resist the urge to buy every even tiniest bit tempting piece of clothing he sees."

"Then it'll be better if you don't look at my purchases at all," my husband laughs. Then he turns to give instructions about Olivia's new goods to a nearby house-elf.

"Go to your room," I tell Olivia. "The clothes will be brought soon."

She nods, smiles, and leaves the room.

* * *

This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

* * *

Olivia glanced around her.

She had already taken care that the house-elves had got her new clothes where they belonged. Then she had dressed herself in one of her new lab robes and come down to her laboratory.

All the new equipment was there, yes, but it was a real mess - books next to the test-tubes, extra ingredients lying all over, bowls stuffed inside the cauldrons. She snorted and started putting the stuff to the proper places.

She worked quickly, knowing exactly where everything belonged to. The test-tube holders she placed next to her first one, placing some crystal and glass tubes in them. Then she filled the shelves on the far wall with empty vials and phials for the potions as well as some goblets and larger bottles for larger amounts of them. Cutting knives in tidy rows, cauldrons and bowls on their places, mixing spoons assorted by size. Books on the bookshelves, one open notebook along with the Voice-Quill on the end of one of the tables. Her previous notes on a pile on one shelf, instructions given by Lucius on another.

At last everything was on the proper place. She looked around herself, satisfied.

"Maybe I should try my new lab, then," she mused aloud, looking through the books. Then she picked up one of them, labeled "Recipes for Future Potions Masters" and began glancing through it.

At last she found a recipe that satisfied her and place the book on the reading table, examining the instructions.

"There's far too much powdered Morrow in this!" she noticed. "It'll cause an explosion! Maybe I should try some other amounts..." On this point, her head was already deep in thoughts about potions.

She collected the required ingredients from her stock and then took them and the proper equipment on one place on her tables. Then she mumbled the activating spell for the Voice-Quill and began chopping the bat wings.

* * *

"Olivia? Olivia, may I come in?" Lucius asked carefully, not really expecting a reply. He knew better than to walk right in to a lab where somebody was currently at work.

He got a reply, but it was nothing he'd expect. There was a loud blow and then a soft "thumb" as something - or, rather, _someone_ - flew against a table. "Olivia!" he exclaimed, opening the door and rushing inside.

Olivia was getting back on her feet. "Too much Venderroot might also blow up the potion, just like I thought," she said, and the Voice-Quill wrote furiously down her every word.

"Olivia?" Lucius asked, looking carefully around him. "Are you all right?"

"Most certainly," the girl replied happily. "I've already proved that this recipe of Advanced Healing Potion is imperfect or erroneous on at least five points, and it can be even dangerous if followed straight like it's written down."

"Proved?" he echoed. "So you tried every possiblity?"

"Very much so. Look at my notes, if you want - the amount of Morrow and Venderroot are both too large, the rushes should be cut to twenty-four degrees instead of twenty-seven, and size five cauldron is far better than size four. And it requires a silver cauldron but gets spoiled if you use a silver spoon on it - something they've forgot to mention." She snorted. "I can't believe they actually publish something like that."

"Well, perhaps I should have told you about that book," he said and chuckled slightly. "All the recipes in it are erroneous. They're meant for those who are practising for their Masters, or Mistresses, like you are - the whole point is to find as many errors as possible and correct them."

"Oh?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Then she smiled a bit. "Then I have some very fun time ahead, I guess."

"Whatever," he chuckled. "But come for dinner before continuing to the next recipe, okay? It'll be served in half an hour."

"Okay," she said, and smiled. "I'll be ready then."

* * *

_"Cione Chang," Sirius read from the newspaper. "Thomas Crabbe. And Melissa and Jonas Darkholm, William Goyle..." The list went on and on. At last he reached the last lines, reading them, "Severus Snape, Lucia Snape, Teresha White, Rosalyn Yvelwa and, oh my, Sybill Zerann-Black." He snorted. "I always knew Sybill was useless."_

_"Snape?" James echoed. "Oh, well. I guess we knew it already, right? That greasy git was good for nothing, and now he's nothing for good..." He laughed._

_Sirius flinched a bit at his friend's words, but fortunately managed to hide it, and even fake a chuckle at James's words. "Right," he said, trying to keep his voice light and cheerful. "He was just as bad inside as he looked like." '_Or just as good,_' he thought, but definitely didn't say it aloud. "Anyway," he said then, "where's Remus?"_

_"He? He got up at least an hour before you did," Lily replied cheerfully. She was currently busy preparing some breakfast for Sirius and James, the two Marauders bound to wake up late every morning, in the tiny kitchen of her and James's. They had got married right after graduating from Hogwarts, and Remus and Sirius were currently staying in their house. "He ate his breakfast, read the Prophet, and went away. He looked somehow distracted, though," she added then._

_"Not too surprising," Sirius said gloomily, glancing at the list where the name "Sarah Lupin" caught his eye immediately. "Maybe I'd better go and have a talk with him."_

_"Maybe," James said, shrugging. "But I'd suggest you eat your breakfast at first."_

_Sirius did so. After he was done, he thanked Lily - he might be mischievious and immature at times, but no one could say he couldn't behave if he wanted to - and went to see Remus._

_He walked to the door of Potters' tiny library. Remus was bound to be behind it; he spent a lot of time going through all the books - especially the Muggle ones Lily had got from her family. He took a deep breath, opened the door and stepped inside._

_When he saw his friend, he felt his heart shattering into tiny pieces._

_Remus sat on a couch, looking blank. There was not even the slightest hint of emotion on his face. His mood, however, could be well seen from the knife he held in his right hand, the blade placed on his left wrist in an experimenting way._

_"Remus," Sirius said breathlessly, his voice barely more than whisper. "Don't. Don't do it."_

_The werewolf raised his eyes very, very slowly. "Why not?" he asked dryly, and there was a coldness in his voice that Sirius had never heard before. Not the coldness of hate, but of loneliness._

_"It's not the right choice." He walked to his friend and sat next to him. Then he carefully removed the knife from his hand. At first Remus resisted, but then he let go. Sirius threw the knife away in disgust. "Don't you ever, ever even think about that," he pleaded, grasping the other man's hands. "You're needed, Remus. You're loved."_

_"Right," he replied with a whispering voice. "Needed by whom? Loved by whom?" His expression was now a stunning mix of pain, confusion and sorrow._

_"Remus," Sirius said quietly, "who of them it was?"_

_His friend didn't reply, but he felt a shiver going through the werewolf's body. In this situation, it was an answer better than any words ever._

_"Yes, I know," Sirius continued talking as he didn't get a voiced response to his words. "I saw it on your face, I saw your eyes, Remus. I recognized the look in them."_

_"Recognized how?" the werewolf asked bitterly, avoiding his gaze. "What do you know about this kind of loss? When have you met a person who has lost his heart to the Dark?"_

_"I've never met one," he replied truthfully. "But I do own a mirror."_

_Remus shot his amber eyes back to meet his sapphire ones. "You?" he said sharply. "You too, Sirius?"_

_The Grim Animagus merely nodded. "Yes, me too," he replied, sadness creeping into his voice. "It seems to be a bad habit to us, doesn't it?"_

_"Don't try to joke, Sirius," Remus hissed. "I'm not in the mood for that." He looked a bit distant for a moment. "Who it is for you?" he asked then, half curious, half doubtful._

_Instead of saying the name, Sirius reached to his collar. He slipped his fingers under his shirt and then drew up a thin chain. There was a tiny, black glass bottle hanging on the chain. He turned the bottle around and showed it to his friend._

_Slowly, a dry smile came back to Remus's face. "Just like you," he sighed, "to fall in love with your worst enemy. And very unlike you, to carry his Soul Potion around even after his falling to the Dark Side."_

_"I have my reasons," Sirius replied quietly. Then he took the bottle in his palm and looked at it. There was some black-purple liquid inside. A face reflected from the liquid, but it wasn't his. It was the face of his only love ever, obsidian eyes as sharp as usual, raven-black hair surrounding a pale face. He sighed and let the Soul Potion of Severus Snape slide back to its usual place under his shirt._

_"You wanted to know who it is for me," Remus said after a moment of rather uncomfortable silence. Without waiting for a reply he went on, "I don't think I'm any better than you. You and your worst enemy. Me and the worst enemy of us all."_

_Sirius blinked. He couldn't possibly mean..._

_Remus noticed his gesture and simply nodded. Then he grasped the golden necklace he always wore around his neck. He fiddled with the round pendant, and suddenly it snapped open. He then showed Sirius what was inside._

_Sirius took a deep breath. On the left side he saw a lock of smooth, platinum hair. On the right side was a photo of a man with a firm expression and that blonde hair. Lucius Malfoy._

_Remus snapped the pendant back closed and let it fall from his hands to hang on its chain. His eyes were looking somewhere in the distance._

_Sirius placed his hand on the werewolf's arm. "I'm sorry", he whispered carefully. "I'm so sorry for you."_

_"I think I always knew it," Remus replied with blank voice. "I knew how interested he was in the Dark Arts. And still I hoped - I hoped he could return before it was too late. I returned. It seems that he fell."_

_"You returned?" Sirius echoed warily. "What do you mean?" He stared at his friend, and shocking realization suddenly hit him. "You - Remus, were you involved in Dark Arts?"_

_"I still am," Remus replied bitterly. "If you didn't know it before, werewolves are Dark creatures." Then he sighed. "In the way you mean? Yes. I was fifteen, and desperate to know more about the powers that made me what I was - what I still am. And he was there, the Potions Assistant, young and tempting Lucius Malfoy - and horribly fond on the Dark Arts._

"_I asked him about them. And somehow, we ended up practising those spells together. While that, we also fell in love._

"_But then, slowly at first, he seemed to go much further than I could have ever gone. Using Unforgivables on beings other than humans wasn't enough for him - for me it was, and believe it or not, I could still cast any Unforgivable even in my dreams - but he was interested in those attacks against Muggles and Muggleborns. I tried to keep him away from Death Eaters and their actions._

"_For some time, it seemed that I managed. On my seventh year, I stopped practising any Dark curses, and he promised me he had stopped it as well." Remus was quiet for a moment. Then he added bitterly, "I see that I was wrong."_

_Sirius didn't know what to say at first. Then he placed his hand on the werewolf's shoulder, saying softly, "I'm so sorry, Remus. But really, you should have told somebody - I'm sure we can help you - you don't have to think about suicide, Remus. We'll just tell the guys what's upsetting you so much, they're getting worried, and then -"_

_"I won't tell anyone, and neither will you," Remus said, pointing a wand at him. Before he could do anything, his friend smiled apologetically and whispered, "_Obliviate

* * *

Sirius sat up on his bed, panting like he had ran up and down all the stairs in Hogwarts. He remembered every little detail about his dream. He even remembered the little pearls of blood on Remus's wrist when the knife had broken the pale skin.

"Mm-hm... What's it now, love?" Severus asked, blinking sleepily. "Another nightmare about Azkaban?" Sirius felt the long, thin fingers of his lover grasping his shoulder, comforting him.

"No," he sighed. "Just a memory. Just a memory that returned to me."

"A memory?" Severus yawned, sounding half interested. "What was it about, love?"

"It was during the First War," Sirius said darkly. "When the lists of those who had left to the Dark Side were first published in the Prophet."

"Yes?" Severus asked warily, raising himself into a sitting position next to Sirius. "Sirius... You knew that I was already a spy in that point, right?"

"Right..." He took a long breath, trying to soothe himself. "It was... it was about Remus. I seemingly found out who he had been in love with, and he Obliviated me..." He bent his head down. "Severus - I found him considering suicide."

Severus took a sharp breath. "Yes?" he then said, embracing him warmly. "Why are you so shocked, love? I don't mean that it wasn't horrible, nothing like that, I love Remus like a brother and you know that - but I mean, you've known about his attempts before, right? Why does this particular memory disturb you so much?"

"You don't understand," he whispered. "Only a week after that - that occasion I just remembered - he tried to kill himself for the first time, Severus. He was on the verge of death, and for a week everyone was sure we had lost him. If I had known -"

"But you didn't, since he had Obliviated you," Severus interrupted. "There was nothing you could possibly have done, Sirius, love. He didn't want you to know, so you didn't know."

"I could have fought the charm!" Sirius said angrily - he was not angry at Severus, but at himself. "I am able to fight Memory Charms, Severus. You know that. If I had been stronger, I could have helped him in time!"

"Stop that, love," Severus sighed. "Believe me, Sirius, you couldn't. Memory Charms from people close to you are much more difficult to fight than other ones. And you were young back then, Sirius, young and weaker than nowadays - there was no way you could have fought his charm."

"I still feel guilty, Severus. Remus is my best friend, and I'd do almost anything for him. I feel so bad about the fact that I knew for a while and wasn't able to prevent at least some of his pain!"

"Sirius!" Severus exclaimed. "There was nothing you could have done! He refused accepting your help, and you have nothing to be sorry about! And even if you had known, do you really think you'd have managed to talk him out of it?"

"Of course!" Sirius said desperately. "Remus isn't stupid, Severus, if he had only listened to me -"

"You tried to talk to him last time," Severus interrupted with a dry tone, "and it didn't work then. Why would it have worked back then, when the situation was even worse? His Lycanthropy makes him more inclined to suicidal attempts than people usually are, Sirius. You know that. You have to simply accept it and be grateful that he hasn't managed yet!"

Sirius was quiet for some time. Then he sighed deeply. "Right," he said. "And I am grateful, really. But I just hope he hadn't had to go through so much."

"So hopes every one of us, love," Severus reminded him gently. "Besides, according to his owls, he's more than happy right now. He has friends, he has a loving husband, and now he has also Olivia - whom I am looking forward to meet, by the way."

Sirius smiled dryly. "I bet you are." Then he sighed once again. "Maybe I should try to sleep, then," he said. "There's no use to cry over spilt potion."

"Right," Severus said and smiled sleepily. "Just sleep now, love." He pulled Sirius determinedly back down to the bed.

Within mere minutes they were both asleep, closed in each other's embrace.

* * *

Next chapter: 


	7. First Times

Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: Chapter revised.

Please visit _The Memory Room_! The link is on my profile page.

* * *

..Our Little One. .

Chapter Seven

First Times

* * *

This chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

This chapter is partly flashbacks.

* * *

"Lucius?" Olivia asked quietly.

"Mmm-hmm?" the blond man mumbled in response, raising his eyes to the girl.

Olivia was sitting in an armchair once again, reading the same book as she had been reading during the previoust full moon. Now the book, however, lay forgotten in her lap, and her eyes were locked at Lucius and the wolf in his lap. "How did it all begin?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"How did this begin?" she asked, gesturing towards him and his wolf-shaped husband. "Harry and Draco only told how you two came in public. But how did you get together in the first point?"

"You mean, when we were young?" Lucius asked, and Olivia nodded.

"Exactly. How did you realize you were in love? What was your first kiss like? When was the first time you said 'I love you?' When was the first time you thought about marrying Remus?"

"Well..." Lucius smiled. "You really _are_ interested in our background, aren't you?"

Olivia looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. "I am just curious," she said, and smiled. Then her smile faded away. "When I was young, I used to wonder how my parents got together, since they clearly didn't love each other," she said with a very quiet voice. "I guess... I guess I just want to hear some kind of story about the same topic."

"Well, I suppose our story is a bit happier," Lucius said, and smiled. "At least if you drop away all the years between 1979 and 1993." Remus raised his head to glare at his husband. Lucius chose to ignore the gesture. "But other than that? I think I can tell you. At least some of it," he added as Remus playfully snapped at his sleeve with his sharp teeth, being extremely careful not to even touch his skin. "Nothing inappropriate, though, or my dear husband will skin me alive once he's again able to use his hands on me."

Olivia chuckled and put her book aside. "Go on, then."

Lucius leaned back in his own armchair, starting to slowly scratch Remus's head behind the ears. "Well, the moment we realized our love was the same as that of our first kiss, which came half on an accident..."

* * *

13th of November, 1975

* * *

A wand was held in a small hand. The hand trembled a bit at first, but then it got steadier and pointed right at the little rat that was running around in the corner. Then a voice with no hint of hesitating or nervousness said, loudly and clearly, "_Crucio_."

The tiny creature let out a little "squeak" as it began rapidly trembling under the grip of a tormenting curse. The curse was released almost immediately, but it left the rat weak and unable to walk, almost dead in its current state.

"_Imperio_," came the next command.

The rat winced as another curse hit it. Then, despite its weakness, it rose to its four feet. Unable to resist the unspoken commands, it turned around and walked to the corner, where it then sat down, obediently waiting for the next command.

It never came. Instead, there was a low hiss, "_Avada Kedarva_."

The rat didn't even flinch as the bright beam of green light hit it. It merely fell onto its side, dead before its head even hit the floor.

"Excellent." Lucius smirked and clapped lazily his hands as Remus turned towards him, the amber eyes twinkling with excitement. "Simply excellent. Where do you get all the power? I've never even heard of someone as young as you having such a powerful killing curse!"

"It isn't actually my power," the teenager said darkly, the slightly amused look disappearing completely from his face. "It's the wolf's."

"Oh!" Lucius exclaimed. "Sorry about that." He was almost surprised with himself. He didn't even remember when he'd last said "sorry" to anyone. Then again, he didn't remember when he'd last talked civilly with someone for as long as he did with Remus.

It was weird, really. As soon as he had returned to assist in Potions at Hogwarts in order to get his Masters, and found out about little Lupin's Lycanthropy, he'd become oddly interested in the fifteen-year-old Gryffindor. When the boy then had come to him to ask about the Dark Arts, he'd replied truthfully, telling anything the boy might ask.

After that, neither of them was sure what had really happened or in what order. It had, however, led to this situation: They practised Dark curses together, in the meantime telling each other a lot of things they'd never told to anyone else. During the progress Lucius had slowly grown to like the boy, and he sometimes even dared to think that Remus liked him as well.

He glanced at the corner and saw some movement there. "A-ha!" he exclaimed. "Another one."

"It's yours," Remus offered generously. "This is your room, after all."

The young Potions Assistant nodded. "So it is." He aimed at the rat in the corner as it began sniffing at its dead companion. "_Imperio_."

They watched in amusement as the rat followed Lucius's commands, dancing and jumping around like a doll without own will. When he at last released the curse, they both laughed as the rat nearly hit the wall while trying to walk straight. The pressure had already broken its weak mind, like often happened to undeveloped animals that were held under the curse for a too long time.

"A pitiful creature," Remus said at last as the rat almost managed to kill itself by banging its head at the wall. "It'll end up breaking its skull. Finish it off."

Lucius nodded. This was one of the things he liked in the werewolf: Remus wasn't cruel or bloodthirsty. Even when he used the Unforgivables, like Ministry had named the three Dark curses they used the most, he never kept the victims under the Cruciatus long enough to kill them with the pain, and he always finished them right after releasing the other curses. He also always used the Imperiatus after the Cruciatus, thus making the victim numb to the pain until he'd finish it off.

Therefore, Lucius aimed his wand yet again and said, "_Avada Kedarva_." The rat bounced as the light hit it, then fell on the floor next to the first one. Lucius turned towards Remus. "You want to try again?" he asked. "I know a charm that calls spiders. You could try one of them."

"Nah. I have to leave soon," Remus said, shaking his head. "I have to work on my Potions essay." He grimaced, since he simply hated the subject. This gesture didn't go unnoticed by Lucius.

"Exactly why you don't like Potions?" he asked curiously as he took down the wards he'd built around his room to stop everyone from noticing the Dark powers they were using there. "You're doing very well in all other subjects. Why's this one too hard for you?"

The boy seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then he said, pretty slowly, "Imagine... Imagine that you got a new nose. A nose that allowed you to smell what your teacher ate for breakfast yesterday." He made a brief pause, then added dryly, "Then imagine that you were put in the same room with sixty-some cauldrons full of some stinking liquid, one of them right under your nose."

Lucius let out a low whistle. "Doesn't sound like a very pleasant experience," he admitted.

"Believe me," Remus sighed, "it isn't."

The Slytherin thought about it for a moment. Then he said, "There are some potions that might help the case. If you want, I could get you some."

The amber eyes widened. "You would?"

Lucius nodded. "Of course I would," he repeated his promise.

Remus narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "And what would be in it for you?" he asked doubtfully. "I can understand why you're helping me with certain... other things," he said, nodding towards the two dead rats in the corner, "but there's no point in helping me to stand Potions."

"Well, maybe because it's painful to see as skilled student as you messing up the whole lesson," he said, shrugging. "Maybe... Maybe because I want something else from you."

"And what would that be?" Remus questioned, his eyes narrowing even more. This boy wasn't dumb, he knew very well what Lucius was going after. Especially after he'd found out about the man's bisexuality.

"A kiss?" the blond suggested, grinning. The suggestion was half a serious offer, half a joke - he admitted that Remus was pretty, yes, and he definitely wouldn't be disappointed if the boy took the offer, but he didn't want to force him to anything, not even ask anything from him yet. He might be nasty, he might be a snob, he might be a Dark wizard, but he definitely wasn't a paedophile.

Therefore, he was positively surprised by Remus's next words.

"And nothing else?" the boy asked. He looked more surprised than shocked, like he'd been expecting something like that, only not yet.

"Nothing else," Lucius verified, licking his lips nervously. "And not even that, if you don't want to. I can get the potions for you anyway."

"And what," Remus said, raising one honey eyebrow, "if I do want that?"

Now, Lucius smiled at the young werewolf and spread his arms. "Then you're welcome," he said and smirked, only just managing to cover his own nervousness.

Remus seemed to be nervous as well. He took a couple of hesitant steps towards Lucius. The blond also took one short step, not wanting to scare the younger wizard away.

Then Remus seemed to collect all his Gryffindor-ish courage, walked right to him and rose on tiptoes. Then he pulled Lucius's head down with his hands and kissed the Slytherin softly, some stray strands of his hair tickling the blond's face.

Lucius held his breath. Remus's lips felt so soft, their pressure on his mouth almost nonexistent. He carefully raised his hands to hold the boy's head as he started replying the kiss, at first slowly and carefully, not wanting to scare him. Then he felt Remus relax, and he became more demanding; slipping his tongue out to lick those soft lips, to taste better the strange sweetness that was Remus.

After a moment the small brunet opened his lips, letting his exploring tongue slip inside. He slowly traced the sharp, white teeth, examined them with the tip of his tongue. Then his tongue met Remus's, and the two began fighting each other for dominance, pushing and licking each other, slipping from mouth to mouth.

At last they broke the kiss. They just stood there, staring at each other, both panting slightly when their bodies tried to get the oxygen they'd been lacking.

"That was... good." Remus grinned at last, breaking the pressuring silence. "Very good, actually."

"I think so as well," Lucius said, and smiled. Then he added, very quietly, "Thank you."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Whatever for?" he asked.

"I - I don't exactly know," Lucius admitted with an ashamed grin. "For the kiss, I suppose."

"Then I have to thank you as well," the werewolf replied with a slight smile. "That was one of the most pleasant experiences in my life."

Lucius chuckled slightly. "Why, I'm delighted," he said and smirked. A bit hesitantly, he reached out his hand and took hold on Remus's smaller hand. The boy allowed him.

Afterwards, neither of them could tell exactly how it had happened. The next thing they realized was that they were kissing again, Lucius's arms wrapped around Remus's narrow waist, the brunet's hands fiddling with the shiny blond hair.

This time, however, Lucius broke the kiss soon. He pulled back, stumbling towards his bed. He sat down, his chest rising in a rapid pace as he breathed heavily in and out.

"Lucius?" Remus asked, sounding frightened. "What's wrong?"

"We can't," Lucius muttered, clenching his teeth. "We can't do this."

"Why not?" the boy asked, sounding hurt. "Don't you like me?"

"Yes, I do," he admitted softly. "I like you very much, Remus. It's just -" He sighed heavily. "We simply can't," he said. "You're fifteen, and a student. I'm twenty-one, and the Potions Assistant equal to a teacher. Do you know exactly what would happen if somebody caught us? You'd be expelled in an instant. And I - I'd be arrested, accused of paedophilia."

Remus didn't say anything. Instead of that, he slowly walked to the bed and sat down next to him. For a moment they were both quiet, studying the floor, not daring to look at each other.

Then Lucius noticed a slight pressure on his arm. He glanced at it and noticed a small, fine hand sliding slowly down along it. At last Remus's hand found his, his fingers tangling with Lucius's longer ones, not letting go. Remus squeezed his hand slightly.

After a moment, Lucius replied the gesture.

He glanced at Remus only to find those amber eyes looking back at him. As their gazes were locked together, Remus opened his mouth and spoke softly, "I'll be of age in April."

Lucius simply nodded. Nothing else had to be said. Then his eyes slid down to their still joined hands. Remus looked at them as well. Neither of them released the grasp.

They sat like that for a very long time.

* * *

7th of February, 1976

* * *

There were many things one could do whilst Potions tutoring. Things that the Potions Mistress would never have expected to be done whilst it.

Holding hands, for example.

That was what Lucius and Remus were currently doing. They sat in the corner, not even looking at the slightly simmering liquid in the cauldron. Their fingers were clutched together, the two joined hands resting at the point where their thighs were pressed against each other, the warmth radiating through the numerous layers of cloth.

Lucius brought his other hand before him. He pointed one long, fine finger and began tracing patterns on the back of Remus's smaller hand. He glanced sideways at the brunet, and they both smiled a bit. Neither of them said anything, but Remus snuggled yet a bit nearer to Lucius as the blond continued running his fingertip over the delicate hand.

He let another finger down on Remus's skin, then yet another. He ran the three fingers down to the narrow wrist. Then he slid them even further, lifting up the loose robe sleeve as well as that of the shirt as he went on.

Remus shivered and closed his eyes as Lucius exposed more and more of his arm. His skin didn't stay as smooth and flawless as it was in his hand for long. The pale arm was crossed by several scars and teethmarks, all self-inflicted.

Lucius frowned. Despite all the prejudices he had previously held against werewolves, Remus had shown him that they could in general be just as harmless and kind as anyone else. Only during the full moon did they become beasts, when they lost their mind and control. Why did such a nice and intelligent person as Remus have to suffer every month, tearing himself in shreds?

He traced one especially clear mark. It was rather new; caused the last full moon, which was now two weeks ago. That meant two weeks until the next time.

He lifted his fingers, allowing the sleeves to fall down to their place. He couldn't look at the arms, not when he knew that this wasn't even the worst. Remus had once shown him his chest, which had been almost only scars. There hadn't been any unharmed skin in sight. It had been only once, and only for a brief moment, but he didn't think he could ever forget it.

He squeezed slightly the small hand atop his. Remus didn't return the gesture, but he felt him relax a bit.

Lucius glanced at the cauldron and smiled. If the current Potions Mistress of Hogwarts, Professor McTurnip, looked in, she'd see the expected Quilldrying Liquid and two hardworking people around it - there were of course charms around the room to warn them of an approaching person soon enough to make them able to spring apart and act busy. If she took even the slightest bit more attentive glance at the cauldron, though, she'd notice that it was full of coloured water. Fortunately, she trusted Lucius enough to never take a better look - rarely even check up on them.

Lucius had easily spoken himself to be Remus's tutor. This they had done half to spend more time together without raising suspicions, half to get some kind of explanation to Remus's suddenly increased Potions skills. Now that Lucius's potions made him able to actually concentrate at the lessons without being distracted by the smell, he'd begun to even like the subject. It of course wasn't a bad thing at all that Lucius was present at all classes, either.

The fifteenth of April couldn't come soon enough to either of them. Of course they'd have to hide their relationship even by then, but at least they wouldn't be punished if somebody found out about it. A quick peck on the lips when nobody was seeing was the most they dared to do, and even that they did only in very rare occasions. They had come to some kind of an unspoken agreement that they'd do no more than hold hands before Remus was of age and therefore legally able to get involved with Lucius.

"I know I am ugly," Remus said darkly, shaking him awake from his thoughts. "You don't have to make sure I remember it."

"You're anything but ugly," Lucius said firmly. "You're beautiful, Remus - both inside and outside."

"Ha, ha, ha," the fifteen-year-old said gloomily. "I'm a beast, Lucius, don't you see it? What kind of people bite and rip and claw themselves? What kind of people almost kill themselves every month?" he asked hotly.

"The kind of people who have suffered much, and are brave enough to fight the curse that's hurting them," Lucius said simply. "The kind of people who don't give up. And you're not a beast. You're kind, smart, wonderful, loveable -"

"Loveable? You must be kidding," Remus interrupted him, snorting depressedly. "I don't think anybody can ever love me," he whispered, lowering his gaze at the floor.

"Remus," Lucius said firmly, "look at me." He placed one hand under Remus's chin, gently turning his head and forcing him to face him. Once he had caught the gaze of the amber eyes, he spoke again. "I love you," he said softly, stroking slightly the werewolf's cheek. "I love you, Remus Lupin, and I always will. This is a promise." Once he had said it the first time, it felt much easier to say again. In the end he was sounding as certain about the topic as he felt. He loved Remus, that much he knew. And it was all that mattered.

"I love you too, Lucius," Remus said very quietly. Then he suddenly threw his arms around the blond and clutched on him like a drowning man grasps on his saviour's hand.

Lucius, only a bit surprised by this gesture, simply hugged the boy back. "I love you, Remus," he whispered, holding tightly on the slightly trembling Gryffindor. "I love you."

* * *

13th of July, 1996

* * *

Lucius peeked through the bush leaves. He smiled as he saw the two people sitting on a bench in the garden of the Malfoy Manor. His son, and his lover.

Remus looked a lot better already. He had filled out a bit, and the sharp shadows under his eyes had disappeared. His frame was still dangerously thin, though. If one watched him carefully, there could be seen a slight tremble in his hands.

Lucius frowned as he remembered the previous full moon. It had been pure torture. The wolf had spent the whole night whimpering, too weak to even get up onto its feet, and afterwards Remus had had to lie in bed for three days, unable to do anything but fight for his life. Lucius had sat next to him the whole time, not leaving until he had been sure the werewolf would survive.

Now Remus looked almost healthy. The sunlight was playing on his hair, making it shine silver and gold at the same time. His skin was almost paler than Draco's, and the nice dark green robe he was wearing made his eerie appearance look even more sicklish, but his amber eyes were twinkling slightly and there was a small smile on his lips as he listened to Draco.

"Nice to see you're enjoying yourself," Lucius said as he stepped in the sight of the two. "But are you sure you can be outside already, Remus? You shouldn't exhaust yourself."

"Lucius!" Remus exclaimed and smiled even more broadly. "I'm fine, believe me. Although you've taught your son well - I almost had to fulfill my threat of hexing him before he'd let me out here." He shot a mock-glare at Draco, who merely grinned.

"All the better for him," Lucius said dryly. "If I found out that he'd insisted you to be outside the Manor, I'd strangle him, my only son or not. I'm glad you're better, but you should really be more careful. Silver burns aren't a thing to play with."

"I know that better than you do," Remus said dryly. "And believe me, I'm not playing with anything. If I weren't able to leave the Manor, I wouldn't have done it."

"Don't bother, Remus," Draco chuckled. "Father isn't really interested in your well-being. He's just trying to keep you and Mother away from each other. Not that there really was any reason to worry," he added lightly. "She's too fond on her dear Thomas to even remember that she already has a husband."

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "And how did you come to that?" he asked. "I _am_ worried about you, Remus. I think I have more than enough reasons for that. And about your mother, Draco, there's really no problem. We came to an agreement recently. She won't say anything about Remus and I'll keep quiet about Thomas, and everyone's happy that way."

"Good," Remus said, and smiled. "Now I feel a bit less like a home-wrecking slut."

Lucius snorted. "There wasn't much to be wrecked to begin with," he reminded. "The marriage was prearranged and Draco was born because I needed an heir. If somebody's wrecking this home, it's Narcissa and I ourselves."

Remus raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

"Come inside now, okay?" Lucius pleaded. "I know it's the middle of summer, and I know that it's rather hot out here, but you're still to recover wholly. I don't want to lose you now when you've already come over the worst part. You were nearly dead, I don't want to risk anything anymore."

"I hardly think that one sunny afternoon spent outside could kill me," Remus chuckled. "But if it makes you feel better, I can come in." He got onto his feet and stretched himself. Then he took a couple of careful steps forward, before he became certain enough of his own feet to start actually walk towards Lucius. Once reaching him, Remus placed a hand on his arm, searching for the support he still needed. "Let's go."

Lucius obeyed gladly, starting to lead their way towards the Manor. Every now and then Remus almost stumbled,but not quite. This made Lucius half delighted, half worried. He was glad to see that the werewolf could already stay upright, but it worried him that he still couldn't use his legs properly. Remus's upper body was what had been hurt most; his legs and feet had been almost unharmed. If he couldn't walk by himself, in what condition were the parts of him that had suffered more?

'_Nothing is so bad that there isn't any good in it, though,_' he thought as he glanced at his smaller lover. The small man's arms, bared by his sleeveless shirt, were almost unmarked, the pale skin glowing eerily in the sunlight. Remus's upper body had been burned black, his skin mere ashes from the touch of silver. When his skin had been re-created by various spells and potions, most of the scars had disappeared. Only some deeper marks still stayed on his otherwise flawless skin.

Those few remaining were still hard for him to see. He didn't think that they made Remus uglier, anything else; they were a constant reminder of the infinite stamina and strength of his lover. What disturbed him was that they reminded him of the pain that Remus had experienced so many times. And what hurt Remus, hurt him as well.

He told neither Draco nor Remus about the other agreement he and Narcissa had come to. Their divorce would take place right after Voldemort's defeat, when they wouldn't have to keep up the facade anymore. This had been set so Narcissa could marry Thomas right away, but now another thought came into Lucius's mind.

He had nearly lost Remus only couple of weeks earlier. This had shown him that he didn't want to lose the werewolf, never. He simply couldn't live without Remus in his life. He had to come up with some way to bind Remus permanently into his life.

Next week, at Diagon Alley, he bought the ring. He put it away to wait for the delightful day to come.

The day when he would be able to propose to Remus.

* * *

"Oh, that was sweet," Olivia said and sighed dreamily.

"So it was," Lucius admitted. "I was quite happy about how it turned out in the end myself, too." He petted the large, golden canine in his lap. "Remus seems to be sleeping already," he chuckled. "What about us calling it a night as well?"

"Sounds like a great idea." Olivia lifted up her book and got on her feet, yawning slightly. "Thanks for the story. It was really enjoyable to hear."

"Why, thank you," Lucius chuckled. "I bet Remus would be very happy to hear that you liked our story." He glanced down at his sleeping husband and smiled.

"That silver burn," Olivia said suddenly. "Was it the reason that he spent that summer here?"

Lucius nodded. "The only reason. Otherwise, he'd been at Hogwarts." Then he reached for his wand to levitate Moony up. "But that's another story for another time," he said as he got onto his feet as well. "I'll tell you some day, though." He watched as the girl walked to the door. "Good night."

"Good night," Olivia replied.

Then she closed the door behind her.

* * *

The next chapter: **Companions**  
Severus and Sirius are back at last, Severus meets Olivia under pretty unusual circumstances, explosions in the potions lab, and - uh-oh - Remus gets mad.


	8. Companions

Disclaimer: Still not mine, although I *do* own Olivia.  
  
A/N: My thousand thanks to Airiel, my lovely beta! I'm truly thankful to her. *beams* At last, I have a chap that has gone through more than a spell check!  
  
Summary: Severus and Sirius are back. Severus meets Olivia at last, and... well... They don't kill each other, to say the least. And Remus gets mad. At Lucius.  
  
.  
  
.~*~.Our little one. ~*~.  
  
.  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
Companions  
  
***************************************  
  
This chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.  
  
***************************************  
  
Remus and Lucius were sitting in their room. Remus was, like he usual, reading a book, and Lucius was glancing through a new Potions book. Suddenly, the door opened with a loud bang.  
  
They both raised their eyes and saw two dark-haired people in the doorway. One of them was wearing wide, black robes, the other had on black Muggle jeans and a Gryffindor red shirt. Both looked fairly happy at the moment.  
  
"Sirius! Severus!" Remus exclaimed. "We weren't expecting you back so soon!"  
  
"I'd be surprised if you were," Sirius chuckled. "We didn't tell you we were coming."  
  
"Shut up, Black," Lucius grinned, gaining a glare from both Blacks. "Sit down, please. How was your trip?"  
  
"Well, everything went like it was supposed to," Severus said dryly, sitting down on a couch. "Besides the fact that Sirius got us kicked out of a children's amusement park."  
  
"It wasn't my fault!" Sirius said defensively, settling down next to the black-haired Slytherin. "And besides, it was an accident!"  
  
Severus rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "That it is every time," he said dryly, pointing at his husband. "It's a miracle I got back sane."  
  
"Children's amusement park, eh? So you had time to have fun also?" Remus asked, bemused. "Work didn't take all of your time?"  
  
"Work?" Severus echoed. "What are you talking about? We were on a vacation, remember?"  
  
"Really?" Remus raised an eyebrow. "And here I was thinking it was a work trip."  
  
"A work trip?" Sirius asked, playing innocent. "How would that be even possible? We don't work in the same department. Shit, our departments almost never even cooperate! We're separated all the time at work! What could require the presence of both of us?"  
  
"I don't really know," Remus said dryly. Then he quirked an eyebrow and added, "At least nothing involving that new-planned werewolf center, I'm sure. What on Earth would you have to do with it - the boss of the Werewolf Department and the Leader Potions Master, who happens to also be the inventor of the Wolfsbane Potion?"  
  
Severus laughed. "Should have known we couldn't fool you," he murmured, amusement in his eyes. "But I don't think that only your wit is enough to sort that out, or otherwise Lucius would know that as well. And, no intelligence can tell you about the center. So, where did you get your knowledge, considering that it's classified top secret until further orders?"  
  
Remus snorted and rolled his eyes. "I'm the Keeper of the Wolf's Staff, remember?" he reminded their two guests. "Any official action involving the werewolves goes over my desk. Nothing happens without my consent. I signed the permission slips to send you over there single-handedly. Those 'top secret' classifications were my work, for Merlin's sake!"  
  
The two dark-haired men glanced at each other and grinned a bit sheepishly.  
  
"I admit my own foolishness," Sirius chuckled. "Of course I should have known that it's under your line. I only have two superiors besides the Minister, after all, and you're the top one."  
  
"Right." Remus smiled at him. "It's sometimes hard to remember that the quiet, shy Remus Lupin-Malfoy could actually have some power over the Ministry officials, isn't it?"  
  
"As nice as it is to listen to your little conversation," Lucius interrupted, "I feel completely left out. Could someone inform me exactly what are you all going on about?"  
  
"The Ministry is planning to found a center for everything involving werewolves," Severus explained. "At this point it's planned to be placed in the Lapland of Finland. If the plans become reality, all research, tests, explorations, camps, and observations, practically everything that has anything to do with Lycanthropy or lycanthropics, will be focused there."  
  
"That sounds good to me," Lucius admitted. "But why Finland? There are not many werewolves around there, or at least I don't know about them. Why not for example France? The werewolf population is rather large there. They're already used to dealing with lycanthropics there."  
  
"Because France is crowded," Remus said. "In Finland, there's an average of less than ten people for a square kilometre. In Lapland, it's even less. You couldn't even find an empty place large enough for the center from most of the European countries, leave alone makeing it unplottable and build the whole thing up. And maybe they're not used to dealing with lycanthropics, but that's why the countries with large populations of us are involved. Specialists from all over the world will be working there."  
  
"I see." The Lord of Malfoy nodded thoughtfully. "Am I right to assume that you'll have more work with this thing than just signing documents?"  
  
"Of course. I'll most probably have to spend a lot of time over there when the project goes further. I'll also have to negotiate with the local education officials - it's been planned that their School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, called Aistolana, will take in all the lycanthropic youngs. It requires some arrangements, however, seeing that they start the secondary school in the age of fifteen in Finland."  
  
"Really?" Lucius looked interested. "Why's that?"  
  
"Apparently, they don't even start attending to the basic school until the age of seven," Remus explained. "The whole education system is different over there."  
  
"So, our youngs should also wait until they reach fifteen?"  
  
Remus confirmed this with a nod. "But, the possibility to attend a school where you're with so many others similar to you, where you aren't despised as a beast, is a great benefit. Considering the recent attempts to take openly more lycanthropic students to Hogwarts, and their results, will certainly make many parents think that the safety of the place is worth the time delay."  
  
They all nodded firmly. When some openly lycanthropic youngs had attended Hogwarts, they had soon been threatened and bullied away by the other students. When one of them had died because of an attack with silver by fellow students - two sixth year Slytherin boys, who both got the sentence of two years in Azkaban - it had been decided that no more werewolves would go to Hogwarts.  
  
"Do you really think that they will be more tolerant over there?" Lucius asked dryly.  
  
"Finland is a small country according to the population, and Aistolana has only a few students," Remus replied with a shrug. "Less than two hundred, I've heard. You know very well that only in Europe there are teen-ager wizarding werewolves at least twice that much. They will become tolerant, if they aren't already - they have to."  
  
"Besides, no matter how minimum the number of werewolves are in Finland, they've always attended the school as normal students," Sirius mentioned with a smirk. "One of the three Founders of Aistolana was lycanthropic. They think that if there is not at least one werewolf in the school, to keep up her tradition, something horrible will happen to the school."  
  
"Thats the first time I've ever heard a superstition that works for werewolves, and not against them, I must say," Severus chuckled. "Anyway, my work in this case is rather limited to the amounts and supplying of Wolfsbane. So, if you will excuse me, I'd like to see this girl you've got. Olivia, wasn't she?"  
  
"Right at once," Lucius said and smiled. "She's probably in the little lab in the dungeons. I gave it to her as a Christmas present."  
  
"Right, thanks." Severus got up and walked out of the room, leaving them to their conversation.  
  
~*~  
  
Severus walked down the long stairs, his robes billowing freely behind him. He knew the way to the little lab by heart. He had surely spent enough time there when he had been developing the Wolfsbane Potion. Lucius had offered him the place and his help, both of which had been gladly appropriated.  
  
At last, the former teacher stopped in front of a heavy oak door, lined with iron.  
  
He opened the door and looked inside.  
  
At exactly the same moment, there was a loud explosion. Sparkling green drops of the potion flew from the cauldron on the fire on the table in front of him. The person who had been standing before the cauldron flew also backwards - right towards Severus.   
  
The person - a young girl - fell against him with a force that made him nearly stumble backwards. He barely managed to catch the girl before she fell down on the floor.  
  
She raised her eyes, looking a bit scared. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "I'm really sorry - I didn't mean -" She stumbled on her feet, looking positively frightened. "I'm really sorry," she repeated. "You're - you're Severus Snape, aren't you?"  
  
"That's my name," he replied, trying his best not to scare the girl even more. "Am I right to assume that you are Olivia? And how did you recognize me? We haven't met before, or at least I don't think we have."  
  
"Yes, I am Olivia," she replied with a hint of a smile. She still looked a bit cautious. "I've seen you in the photographs Remus showed me once. Draco's also told about you."  
  
"I bet he has," Severus murmured dryly. "I hope you haven't believed anything he may have said."  
  
Her expression turned a bit nearer to a smile. Then the happy curl on her lips faded away completely. "I am truly sorry for falling on you," she apologized yet again. The slightly frightened look on her face didn't go away, and she eyed him carefully, like she'd been scared of how he'd react. "It was an accident, honestly. I was just testing this potion for the right amount of Cucunor, and one of the cauldrons exploded."  
  
"It's nothing," Severus replied, trying to smile reassuringly. This girl could use a bit of a Bravery Brew, that he was sure about. Maybe more than just a bit. "It's not like I hadn't blown up my fair share of cauldrons during my own years practising for my Masters." He glanced at the table. There were still three cauldrons, all filled with various amounts of the thick, green liquid. "May I ask what you're preparing?" he asked, genuinely curious.  
  
"Oh, just some Frogslime," she smiled. "You know - the kind they sell in wizarding toyshops. I've already found three errors in the recipe, and I don't think there are much more."  
  
"Errors?" he echoed. "Let me guess. Lucius is making you use 'Recipes for Future Potions Masters,' isn't he?"  
  
"Yes, he is," Olivia replied, walking to take a look at her simmering cauldrons. "I think it's useful. You really learn a lot of things that way, rather than just preparing the potions." She glanced sideways at the man. "Have you ever used it yourself?" she asked curiously.  
  
"Many times," he admitted. "I went through the whole book, twice. And you're right. It is indeed useful."  
  
"Twice?" she repeated, and actually smiled, seemingly amused. "How's that possible, if I may ask? Wouldn't you know the errors at the second time?"  
  
"Yes, I did," he said, returning her smile. "But I destroyed all my notes and prepared them again. There's nothing better than extra practice - and that way I made sure I hadn't forgotten anything."  
  
"I guess you're right." She smiled again, seemingly completely forgotten her former fear. Maybe the conversation was relaxing her, wiping away her wariness.  
  
Severus's eyes caught yet another cauldron on the other table. "What's that?" he asked. "Are you preparing some other potion as well?"  
  
"Um... Yes," she admitted, a little flush crawling to her cheeks. "I have a little problem with it, though, and I don't want to ask Lucius for help."  
  
"Why so?" Severus wondered. "You don't want him to know about it? Why not?"  
  
"This is - this is the Brew of Dreams," she told him. "You know that?"  
  
"Of course," Severus nodded. "I'm a Potions Master, after all. It's the one that can make you have preinition dreams and visions, if you have the gift."  
  
"Exactly." Olivia dropped some reddish powder to the cauldron and stirred. "I recieved the gift at birth, you know. I used to have dreams that became true, but after all those - things - happened, I'm yet to have a vision."  
  
"And you want to retrieve your skill." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.  
  
"I do. Except brewing potions, I have no other magical abilities. I'd like to have something else as well. I feel so useless when I can't do even the simplest things. I'm not even able to light the candles in my room in any other but the Muggle way!"  
  
"Once you turn sixteen, you can do that, for it's part of the Manor's magic."  
  
"Right." She snorted. "But even then I'll always be like a Squib outside these walls. Or not quite a Squib - they can't even do successful Potions. But, the difference won't be very big."  
  
"So you want to be magical in some way."  
  
"More than magic, I miss the dreams themselves," the girl confessed with a slight smile. Then the smile faded away again. "Back then, they were the only thing that made me believe there might still be something for me; something worth all the waiting, suffering and pain."  
  
Severus swallowed. He had of course heard of the girl's past from Lucius, but it was a completely different thing when heard from Olivia herself - even if it was only a slight mention, not more than a reference to the events.  
  
"I just can't seem to get this right," the girl continued, turning towards her cauldron. "It just doesn't want to get light enough."  
  
"I can help you with it later," Severus promised. He was only happy to offer his help - the girl seemed to really know something about the potions' brewery, and the Brew of Dreams was one of the most interesting potions he'd ever tried. Besides, he'd already promised Lucius to instruct Olivia.  
  
"You will?" she asked, looking delighted. "Oh, thank you so much! I've been struggling with this ever since I first used my lab - not that it was really long time, just a couple of weeks, but considering how much time I spend here, it is quite a lot."  
  
"I know," he smiled. "I once used the total of 245 hours to complete one potion. During two weeks."  
  
"You should tell that to Remus," Olivia giggled. "He thinks Lucius and I both spend far too much time in our laboratories. But he's not much better himself - whenever we're with our potions, he's with his books."  
  
"A common fact," Severus smirked. "But now our presence is requested by your fathers in the upstairs. I'd like you to meet my husband as well."  
  
"I'm looking forward to meeting him," Olivia said, smiling slightly. "If you like him much enough to marry him, then I think I'll like him also."  
  
"That we'll see," Severus said, bemused. "Sometimes I'm not so sure myself exactly why I married him."  
  
"You must be kidding," Olivia said, grinning.  
  
"I hope I was," Severus replied, returning her grin.  
  
~*~  
  
"It's taking them more time than it should," Remus said, frowning. "I'll go and see what is keeping them back."  
  
Lucius and Sirius nodded as he got on his feet. He walked out of the room, since this sitting room was one of the few rooms in the whole Manor without a mirror. Once finding one in the corridor, he went through it to another corridor as near Olivia's lab as possible.  
  
He had hardly stepped through the mirror, when he already heard a conversation from the next corridor.  
  
"I'd like to change before we go to meet the others," Olivia's voice said. "I dropped some of the liquid on this, and besides, this isn't one of my favourites, no matter how useful it is."  
  
"I've noticed the same thing," Severus's voice said, sounding a bit amused. "I, personally, prefer long and wide sleeves in my robes, but it's about the last thing you can wear in the lab."  
  
"So true," Olivia sighed.  
  
Remus grinned. He was just about to step in the next corridor and talk to the two, when the next part of the conversation caught his ear.  
  
"Lucius has surely placed shielding spells on your lab robes, correct?" Severus asked, now serious. "I mean, those explosions can be dangerous otherwise."  
  
"Of course," Olivia replied. "I don't think he'd otherwise allow me to research the recipes for errors, leave alone insisting it."  
  
"And what about Remus?"  
  
"Well..." Olivia was quiet for a moment, then said, "What Remus doesn't know, can't hurt him, right?"  
  
"Right. But what do you think? Doesn't it make you nervous to experience so many explosions?"  
  
"Why?" Olivia asked back. "After all, if the mix explodes, it only tells that I've found another error."  
  
Remus had heard enough. Without another thought, he ran through the corridor as quietly as he could. Cold fury built up inside him as he went to the nearest mirror, pressed his ring against it and said the coordinates.  
  
~*~  
  
"Master Lucius," a house-elf said, peeking in the room. "There's a firecall for you in your office."  
  
Lucius frowned, and Sirius chuckled. The only people who contacted Lucius in his office's fireplace were the Ministry officials. That never meant anything interesting, leave alone important.  
  
"I trust you not to kill yourself while I'm away," Lucius sighed, getting on his feet. "If you are capable of that?"  
  
"Killing myself or avoiding it?" Sirius asked with a cheeky grin. He laughed as he saw the older man's annoyed expression. "Calm down, Lucius," he said. "I will behave myself. I promise."  
  
The Lord of Malfoy didn't say anything, merely raised his eyebrows. Then he left, leaving Sirius alone.  
  
The Animagus glanced around the room. He almost immediately spotted a Quidditch magazine on the corner table - most probably left there by Harry or Draco, seeing that neither Lucius nor Remus were exactly fond on the sport. They of course wanted to know how Harry was doing, and watched his every match, but other than that, they never did anything involving Quidditch.  
  
He walked over to the table and began reading the magazine. Soon he was fully concentrated on it, not taking his eyes off it until he heard the sound of the door opening.  
  
He raised his eyes at the in-comer. To his great surprise, both Severus and Olivia were absent. The only person in the doorway was Remus, who was looking furiously around the room.  
  
"Where's Lucius?" his oldest friend asked briefly.  
  
"He got a firecall," Sirius told him. "But why -"  
  
"A firecall?" Remus interrupted him. "Fine. Severus and Olivia are coming here shortly, Olivia was going to change herself before coming. Go find them and once you find them, get them away."  
  
"Away?" he echoed, eyeing the werewolf curiously. What one Earth was he up to?  
  
"Away," Remus repeated. "Somewhere outside the Manor. Hogwarts, Azkaban, I don't care! Just get them out of here as soon as possible. Show Olivia the Black Manor, for example."  
  
"Why on Earth should she be taken elsewhere?" the Animagus asked, positively puzzled.  
  
Remus glared at him, then sighed. "Because she's got enough of fighting parents for one lifetime," he said through clenched teeth. "And I'm just about to give Lucius the dressing-down of his life."  
  
"Oh." Sirius knew better than to question Remus about the reason of his anger. He might only explode on Sirius, and that wasn't a pleasant thing. At all. He'd once seen Remus yelling at Lucius - he couldn't even remember why, but he'd probably never forget the row - and it was *scary*. Really, really scary.  
  
Without another thought, he left the room.  
  
~*~  
  
"Will it take long?" Severus asked, half amused, half frustrated. He knew that it wasn't a long time he had waited behind the door of the girl's room, but it felt like forever.  
  
"I'm coming!" Olivia informed, then opened the door and stepped out. She had changed her laboratory robes to a nice, equally green dress robe, with a silver snake embroidery going down her arm. "Shall we go, then?" she asked, only the tiniest bit nervous.  
  
"Of course." He offered his arm with a dry smile, which Olivia replied with a similar smile, taking his arm. They just turned around the corner when they ran to Sirius.  
  
"Sirius!" Severus exclaimed. "What on Earth are you doing here? We were just coming to you!" He noticed that Olivia's grasp on his arm stiffened temporarily, but then relaxed again. Predictable, yet disappointing. Lucius and Remus had made it very clear in their letters that Olivia might be very scared of them, even when she'd recently learned to handle her feelings around her two adopted fathers on almost any occasion, and for the most part also with Harry and Draco.  
  
"Remus told me that you should come with us to the Black Manor," Sirius said with a cheery smile. Too cheery, in Severus's opinion. "He and Lucius... have some sudden business to attend to."  
  
"I see," Olivia said, hiding well the still existant nervousness in her voice.  
  
Severus merely nodded at his husband. "Where's the nearest fireplace?" he then asked the girl. She was, after all, the only one of them living in the Manor.  
  
"Wait a minute," she said, then walked to the nearby mirror. There was at least one mirror in every corridor of the Manor so there it was always a short way to the power of the place. In Black Manor, there weren't even as many - only in the bedrooms and bathrooms, and in the largest hall.  
  
Olivia pressed her ring against the mirror. "Where's the nearest fireplace?" she asked soundly. Severus caught a hint of nervousness in her voice-whatever for, he didn't know.  
  
"The door to the left, Young Mistress," the mirror replied with the usual cool voice.  
  
Olivia nodded, but didn't say a word. She merely opened the said door and stepped inside, the two men following her.  
  
There indeed was a fireplace in the room. Severus walked to it and immediately spotted the little jar of Floo powder next to it. He took a handful, giving some to both Sirius and Olivia.  
  
"I trust you know how to use this?" he asked Olivia, raising a curious eyebrow.  
  
"Of course," she said and chuckled. "How would I have gone shopping with Remus otherwise?"  
  
Sirius rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "Figures," he muttered. Then he lit a magic fire in the fireplace with a quick spell, tossed his powder into it and said, loudly and clearly, "Black Manor!"  
  
Severus glanced at Olivia. "Go ahead," he urged the girl. She gave him only the tiniest bit nervous grin, then threw her own powder into the fire and cried out, "Black Manor!"  
  
After mere seconds, Severus followed her.   
  
~*~  
  
"Harry?" Draco asked, eyeing his boyfriend carefully.  
  
"Mmm-hmm?" was the only response he got.  
  
"Why are you looking at me like that?" the Slytherin went on questioning.  
  
"Like what?" Harry asked back.  
  
"You know very well. Like you were just going to say something but then regretted it. Is something wrong with me?"  
  
"No, love. You're perfect in every means," Harry said, smiling.  
  
"Then what's bothering you?" Draco demanded to know, irritated. "Honestly, Harry, on moments like this you're damn lucky I love you. Otherwise, I'd have already fed you to my cat."  
  
"Well..." Harry seemed to hesitate for a moment. "In fact, I have something I wanted to ask you," he then said slowly.  
  
"Well?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "What is it, then?"  
  
Harry didn't reply immediately. Instead, he drew his wand and murmured a hasty summoning spell. Something flew to his hand, too fast for Draco to see it. Then Harry turned towards him, a little, nervous smile on his lips.  
  
To his great surprise and shock, Harry knelt down in front of him.  
  
"Seeing that it seems to be so common in your family, I want to do this the traditional way," Harry said, and smiled slightly. Then he grasped on Draco's hand with his own free hand, fixed his eyes on the blonde's eyes and asked, "Draco Luce Thomanius Malfoy, will you do me the honour of marrying me?"  
  
~*~  
  
Lucius frowned. Yet another completely useless call. He belonged to the Ministry Council, true enough, but it definitely wasn't a reason to bother him with every tiny detail. It wasn't like he didn't have enough to do with his *real* assignments already.  
  
With these thoughts in mind, he stepped in to the sitting room and looked around him.  
  
To his great surprise, none of the Blacks were there, nor Olivia. Remus was, though. His lycanthropic husband was sitting in an armchair, his fingers snapping at the little table next to the chair.  
  
"Remus?" Lucius asked, puzzled. "Where is Sirius? And didn't you go to Olivia and Severus?"  
  
"They're not here," came the brief reply.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Severus and Sirius took Olivia to the Black Manor," Remus said, his voice uncharacteristically cool.  
  
"What?" Lucius asked, completely astonished. This made no sense at all. "Why? They just got here! Why'd they leave - and why'd take Olivia with them?"  
  
"They left, and they took Olivia, because I asked them to," Remus replied, his voice still freezing. There was a threatening glint in his usually so warm eyes as he stood up and walked towards Lucius.  
  
"Why did you do that?" the blonde asked warily. He guessed what was coming, though. There was only one situation where Remus would act like this.  
  
When he was very mad. Usually at Lucius.  
  
"Because," Remus hissed through clenched teeth, stopping in front of him, "because we need to *talk*."  
  
*  
  
A/N2: You can now vote about what of these short (or long) interludes I'll include to the future chapters:  
  
A)Flashback: Lucius's proposal - Remus's POV  
  
B)Flashback: Sirius's proposal  
  
C)Olivia sleeping with her plushies  
  
D)A Hogwarts faculty member visiting - please specify who  
  
E)A couple (RM+LM / HP+DM / SB+SB) in shower (PG-13 only though) - please specify which couple  
  
You can vote for more than one option, but remember to state which options, and in which order, you'd like to see in the story.  
  
And this all works by pressing that nice little button down there. You see? "Go!" 


	9. Crystal Angels

Disclaimer: If they were mine, Draco'd have two fathers far from the start. So, nope.  
  
Summary: Remus is mad at Lucius, Harry and Draco snog, Olivia is introduced to Minerva (not McGonagall, though) and she sees some interesting things at the Black Manor, a prohibition is given, and Remus is unwilling to forgive.  
  
A/N: Still my thousand thanks to Airiel, my lovely beta!  
  
*  
  
.~*~.Our little one.~*~.  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
Crystal Angels  
  
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This chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.  
  
***************************************  
  
Draco stared at Harry for a while. Then, just as the bespectacled man started to feel nervous, he broke into a broad smile.  
  
"Yes, Harry," Draco whispered, tiny glower of tears of joy appearing in his eyes. "Yes, I will marry you."  
  
"Good," Harry said, and smiled. Then he slipped a ring into Draco's left ring finger. The Slytherin brought the hand nearer to examine the jewel.  
  
It was beautiful. It was a silver Chinese dragon, biting its own tail. Its eye was made of a tiny emerald, exactly the same color as Harry's eyes. All in all, it was stunning.  
  
Draco grasped Harry's hands and pulled him up. "Thank you," he whispered to his boyfriend. "I really, really love you, Harry."  
  
"And I love you," Harry said, and smiled.  
  
Then he wrapped his arms around his just engaged husband-to-be, leaned forward, and sealed their new bond with a fierce kiss.  
  
***  
  
"Why are you mad at me, love?" Lucius asked, highly confused. He couldn't recall doing anything that might upset his usually so calm husband this way.  
  
"So you don't even know?" Remus snapped, his fingers tapping at the arm of the chair even more furiously than before. "I'm impressed, Lucius. Only you can come up with something like this and then tell that you don't even know what I'm going on about!"  
  
"Well, I don't," he said, keeping down a heavy sigh. "So, humor me and tell me what I've done to upset you."  
  
Remus snorted sharply. "I overheard a conversation of Severus and Olivia's," he said with a bitter tone. "Is it true that you're encouraging her to brew potions that explode?"  
  
Lucius paled. 'Oh, shit,' he thought. 'This can't be good.' "Yes," he said aloud, trying hard to keep his voice blank and free of all emotions. "It is indeed true."  
  
"Don't you even CARE?!" Remus cried out, his comment starting as a normal speech but ending up in a scream. "Don't you care about what happens to your DAUGHTER?" He flung up from his chair, taking a short step towards Lucius.  
  
"Remus, calm down," Lucius sighed. "You know that any magic can backfire if not used properly. And you know that Olivia is excellent in potions."  
  
"Yes, I am well aware of that. But according to what I was able to catch of their conversation, they explode when she does them right. Olivia said she knows she's found a new thing as she blows up something!"  
  
Lucius bit back a curse. This indeed wasn't going to be pretty. Despite all his mild behavior, Remus was Hell in one man when he got really furious. And this was definitely one of the times.  
  
"You don't even bother to answer!" Remus shouted at him. "Lucius Malfoy, if you don't right now say anything, I'll take that as a sign that you no longer care about anything that happens to me or Olivia!"  
  
"I'd never say that!" he exclaimed in response. "You mean the world to me, Remus. All of you - you and Draco and Olivia and Harry and Severus and Sirius. I don't have many people left. I'd never hurt any of you in any way, nor would I want you to be hurt!"  
  
"Well, you have a damn odd way showing it," Remus said accusingly. "You seem to be doing all but straightforward killing her!"  
  
"She wasn't in danger of death!" Lucius tried to defend himself. "She never was! I put all the required Shielding Charms on her! She never did anything that Severus, I, or both of us haven't done already!"  
  
"Right! And look at what it's led you to! Pray tell me, Lucius, exactly how much did the Shielding Charms help you the last time?"  
  
Lucius flinched. Remus' words hurt him, and a lot. "I'm alive!" he shouted, despite his inner urge to stop the fight and use all his force for keeping the tears off his face. "Isn't that enough of an evidence of their capability to keep one safe?"  
  
"Yes, you are alive! And at what cost, pray tell? What did it cost you to get yourself away with it?"  
  
"Well, even if I had died, it at least wouldn't have happened on my own attempt! Why should I be worried about you? You'll end up dead by your own hand some day despite all my attempts to keep you safe and healthy!"  
  
"Safe and healthy indeed! I can recall you doing it very well to, too many people to count! Exactly how many you have murdered?" Remus roared.  
  
"That doesn't matter right now!" he yelled back. "What I've done in the past isn't the point. What I'm not doing right now should matter a hell of a lot more!"  
  
"Well, it doesn't seem so!" Remus screamed. "Because you're doing exactly the same thing now! I really can't see the difference in pushing someone into acid and telling them to jump there!"  
  
"Then we're lucky that I can! And we're also damn lucky that I can tell the difference between doing either of those and not doing them! Olivia has been perfectly safe all the time!"  
  
"So all the times you've almost got yourself killed you have been perfectly safe, right? You were only faking all those injuries?"  
  
"It has been three years already! It has nothing to do with this! Besides, those have always been potions that only Potions Masters are licensed to brew! There's not a chance that she'd even get their recipes. Leave alone be stupid enough to try them!"  
  
"So they're the only potions that could harm anyone?" his husband asked sharply.  
  
"I didn't say that. I only said that she isn't doing anything even relatively dangerous!"  
  
"Yeah, and I said that dragons are almost harmless!" Remus mocked. "If you didn't want a child, you could have just told me! You don't have to try and kill her off!"  
  
Lucius couldn't come with a reply for that. He just stared at his husband, his jaw hanging open.  
  
"Maybe it's for good that neither of us can carry babies even with the special potions," the werewolf said bitingly. "I'd be surprised if they survived a single month under your care!"  
  
"Remus!" Lucius exclaimed, now getting really angry himself. This was going too far. "I swear, if you go on about that, I will -"  
  
"What? Kill me as well?" Remus snarled, glaring at him.  
  
"For the last time, Remus, I didn't try to kill her!" the Slytherin yelled. "I'd never hurt her on purpose! I just wasn't thinking! I was stupid and careless and a total idiot and nearly got her hurt. Fine. Settled. But I'd never do it ON PURPOSE!"  
  
"And are you suggesting that I MIGHT?" Remus shouted. "Well, I might remind you again, Lucius, I'm not the one who's inclined her to life-threatening situations! I'm not the one who's trying to KILL HER!"  
  
"Well, NOR AM I! So STOP ACCUSING ME OF IT!" Lucius's rage was boiling also. Almost nothing could make him furious - he usually preferred cold, threatening anger - but if something could really piss him off, it was Remus.  
  
"So you think you've done nothing wrong?" Remus asked, suddenly surprisingly calm. "You claim that you're perfectly innocent and have done nothing that I should be angry about?"  
  
Lucius cursed in his mind. If anything, these sudden swirl-arounds and changes of view made it impossible to win Remus in a fight. "No, I'm not saying that," he said, forcing his voice even. "I already admitted that I was careless and stupid to tell her to do it. But I'm not in Merlin's name trying to kill her!"  
  
"But seemingly you wouldn't even care if she died," Remus pointed out bitterly. "If you did care, you wouldn't put her in danger."  
  
"I didn't purposely put her in danger," Lucius snapped. "And talking about killing, I'm not the one who the Ministry wants to lock up every month!" He regretted the words at the same second as they left his mouth, but it was too late to pull them back. He saw the highly hurt expression on Remus' face, but chose to ignore it. He was hurt also, hurt and upset. How could Remus say that to him?  
  
"Well, at least I'm yet to kill someone!" Remus raged, Lucius's words only angering him more. "And even if I did, I wouldn't do it voluntarily! I could name some people who can't say the same!"  
  
"THE HELL I CARE!" Lucius roared. "I'm not going to listen any more of this! I've paid for my mistakes already. I don't have to discuss them with you!"  
  
"Yes, paid dearly indeed! How many Galleons does one murder cost to be wiped off your crime list?" the Gryffindor spat.  
  
"What interest does it have on you? You couldn't even pay it if it was in Sickles!"  
  
"Then it is good that I don't have anything to pay for! I may be a werewolf, but at least I'm not a Death Eater!"  
  
"No, you aren't! But still you cast successful Unforgivables at the age of fifteen!"  
  
"Makes me wonder WHO TAUGHT THEM TO ME?!"  
  
"The one who saved you when you sliced your wrists the last time! Suicidal FREAK!"  
  
"MURDERING MONSTER!"  
  
"MINDLESS BEAST!"  
  
"HEARTLESS BASTARD!"  
  
"LYCANTHROPIC GOOD-FOR-NOTHING!"  
  
"Lycanthropic I MAY BE! But at least I've never KILLED CHILDREN!"  
  
After saying this, hurt and furious Remus left the room, leaving the hurt and furious Lucius behind.  
  
***  
  
"Welcome to the Black Manor," Sirius said, smiling at Olivia, who was just trying to clean the soot from her clothes. "Welcome to our home."  
  
"Welcome to the house where's the largest and best equipped laboratory outside the Alchemist's Guild's Headquarters," Severus added with a dry chuckle. "I suppose you'd be interested in seeing it?"  
  
Olivia's eyes lighted up. "I'd love to," she said, sighing dreamily.  
  
Sirius let out a hopeless sound and rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. Severus merely smirked before starting to lead Olivia towards his laboratory.  
  
They reached it pretty quickly. Severus stopped in front of the door, then, dramatically slow, opened it for the excited girl.  
  
Olivia gasped as she saw the inside. The laboratory was full of cauldrons, test tubes, recipes, notes, half-prepared ingredients and ready potions. There weren't any potions being prepared at the moment, because they had only arrived the day before, but it was still quite an impressive sight.  
  
"Unbelievable," Olivia whispered, taking a couple of hesitant steps inside the laboratory. She stared around her, her eyes wide with wondering. As Severus nodded at her encouragingly, she walked further inside and began examining all the equipment there.  
  
Severus took great amusement watching her awe over the laboratory. He had spent years taking it up to perfection. All the equipment was silver, excluding some equipment he used for potions that didn't stand the metal, and everything was also decorated with snakes. And everything was, despite the seemingly disorder, in perfect order for work. If Lucius had taught the girl anything, she should be able to see how well planned the mess actually was. And he had taught more than just anything, Severus had seen that from her own little lab.  
  
"And Olivia?" Severus asked, after watching her wondering for a while.  
  
"Yes?" the girl replied, turning towards him.   
  
"While I take no offense for being called Snape," he said with a little smirk, "the correct form is Black. I took Sirius's name when we were married, since the Snape Manor was anyway going to my sister Lillian and I had no other ties to my family."  
  
Olivia blushed deeply. "I - I am sorry," she stammered. "But I've never heard your family name in other occasions but Harry's and Draco's stories, and in those you're always Snape..." Her voice trailed off, but her blush only deepened.  
  
Severus laughed a little. "As I said, it doesn't really matter," he said in a soothing manner. "Half of the Wizarding World calls me Snape anyway, and the other half and I are not talking."  
  
"I'll never forget that we had to get our marriage certificate fixed because it stated 'Sirius and Snape Black' in it," Sirius grinned from the doorway. "The poor official nearly bit her tongue in half as she realized what she had done..."  
  
"Or when the Daily Prophet talked about 'the Blacks, Severus Snape and Sirius,'" Severus added at that with a snort. "Really, it isn't like 'Snape' was written all over my face, is it?"  
  
Olivia dared to giggle. "I suppose not," she said, and smiled.  
  
Despite Sirius's various attempts to else, they spent a good hour in the laboratory. Severus showed Olivia all his special equipment, rare ingredients, and hardly legal self-varied recipes, and the girl stored everything in her mind, clearly learning something at every moment.  
  
At last, they left the laboratory. Sirius let out and exaggerated sigh of relief, making Severus smirk and Olivia giggle again a bit.  
  
"I'm going to try and contact Lucius," Severus said then. "Can I trust that you won't get her killed while I'm away, Sirius?"  
  
The addressed man rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. "I'm not a child anymore, Severus," he said with a mock-desperate tone. "I have grown up after I was twelve, after all."  
  
"Really?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow. "Somehow I seemed to miss that."  
  
"Very funny," the Animagus snorted, and Severus laughed.  
  
"No, I think you can manage," the Slytherin said then. "Show her your pet, for example."  
  
"Honestly, Sev," Sirius groaned. "I'm not a five-year-old who needs to be told how to amuse his little friends!"  
  
"No, you aren't," Severus admitted. "But do you have any better suggestions?"  
  
"Well... If you put it that way... No." He grinned sheepishly, then shrugged and beckoned Olivia. "Come on, little one. I'll introduce you to my Kneazle. She's called Minerva."  
  
"Minerva?" Olivia echoed. "That's a weird name for a pet."  
  
"Well, it's kind of an in-side joke," Sirius said, and chuckled slightly. "My Transfiguration teacher at Hogwarts was Minerva McGonagall. She's a cat Animagus."  
  
"Really?" Olivia asked, looking amused. "Does she know about your pet's name?"  
  
"I suppose not," Sirius said, shrugging. He stopped in front of an oak door. "She wanders freely in the East Wing," he explained the girl as he started to open the door. "As a feline creature, she likes to have much space all for herself. Besides," he said then darkly, pushing the door open, "that way it's easier for Remus to avoid her. As magical creatures, Kneazles can sense werewolves, and in general, they hate them."  
  
"Oh," Olivia said quietly. She stepped inside. Sirius followed her, closing the door behind them.  
  
"Minerva!" he called then, after lighting up the candles in the room with a flick of his wrist. "Minerva, come here!"  
  
In an instant a creature resembling a small cat ran from the nearby doorway. It had blue spots all over its pale fur, a tail like a lion's, and over-sized ears. It jumped right away to Sirius's lap and began purring.  
  
Sirius laughed. "Kneazles in general are pretty aggressive," he said, "but when they like someone, they like them well. Do you want to pet her?" He must have noticed the cautiousness in Olivia's expression, since he added, "Don't worry, she won't attack you. She does nothing as long as I am safe."  
  
At last, Olivia dared to reach out a hand to pet the animal. She eyed her curiously, but not aggressively. After a moment the girl dared to scratch behind the large ears, making Minerva again purr in satisfaction.  
  
Sirius grinned. "She seems to like you," he observed. "That's good. Kneazles only like trustworthy people."  
  
"I'm glad that it finds me trustworthy," Olivia smiled. Then she continued petting the long, spotted fur, making the purring increase the whole time.  
  
They played with the animal for quite some time. Sirius took that time to tell his animal that Olivia indeed was really safe, and eventually she'd even sit in her lap. This, of course, made Olivia more than delighted. She smiled broadly and petted the soft animal, Sirius watching them from the side, smiling.  
  
Suddenly, a busy-looking house-elf came inside. "Young Mistress Malfoy," the house-elf said. "Master Severus says that there is a firecall for you, Mistress Malfoy. It's your father, young Mistress Malfoy - Master Malfoy, it is.."  
  
Olivia nodded, stood and, after giving Sirius a bit questioning gaze and receiving a nod in return, followed the creature.  
  
She shortly came to the room of the nearest fireplace. Severus was there already, and, as he saw her coming, he nodded to her, pointed at the fireplace, and left the room.  
  
Olivia walked in front of the fireplace and saw Lucius in the flames. "Hello, Father," she said softly. "What's the matter?"  
  
"Olivia," he said, looking very tired and upset. "From this day on, you aren't allowed to make anything explosive in the laboratory. You'd preferably not brew anything that even might explode, and if you blow up anything, you'll receive a month's prohibition against all breweries in the lab."  
  
Olivia just stared at him, stunned. "But... How... Why..." she managed, then shook her head like in an attempt to clear it. "But this doesn't make any sense," she said. "At first you insist it, then you forbid it!"  
  
"I'm not the one forbidding," Lucius said and frowned slightly. "Remus is."  
  
"Whatever for?" Olivia wondered. "I haven't hurt myself a single time. Not with the shielding charms you've put on my robes."  
  
"Ask him," the blonde wizard snapped sharply. " He and I are not talking." Then he noticed Olivia's upset expression and said with a bit softer tone, "I'm sorry, Olivia. I didn't mean to snap at you, and I shouldn't have done it. You aren't the one I'm mad at."  
  
"You two are fighting over me, aren't you?" Olivia asked with a tiny voice. "Because you're letting me do something he doesn't want me to do." Tiny tears of fear more than sorrow formed up in her eyes. "And now you're not talking, and it's all because of me!"  
  
"No, no, sweetheart," Lucius sighed. "It's anything but your fault. It was my fault, for not thinking about how he might feel about it." He even managed a little smile. "Don't worry, little one. None of us are mad at you, believe me. You did only what you were told to do."  
  
"You're upset," Olivia observed. "You never use petnames if you aren't very badly affected by something."  
  
"I don't?" Lucius looked a bit surprised. "Oh, my. I haven't even noticed." Then he again looked serious. "Well, then... Do you want to stay over there for a couple of days? Severus has already agreed, so it's entirely up to you."  
  
"I - I'll stay," Olivia replied after a bit of hesitating. "If that's okay with you?"  
  
"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't." Lucius smiled, then waved very un-Lucius-ly. "Goodbye, little one," he said, then vanished from the fire.  
  
Olivia sat there for quite long time, staring at the flames.  
  
After a while, Severus and Sirius came to the room. At first they waited for her to say something, but as she remained quiet, they began to feel the urge to break the pressuring silence.  
  
"Well..." Sirius said. "What did he say? And will you stay here?"  
  
"Yes, I will," she answered quietly the second question. "And he told that I'm not allowed to do anything explosive in my lab anymore. Remus has decided that it's too dangerous for me."  
  
Severus breathed in sharply. So Remus had heard their conversation.  
  
Sirius, however, stayed calm for once. "That's not a surprise," he said with almost as quiet voice as Olivia. "Remus doesn't like explosions."  
  
Olivia snorted. "What's disturbing him so much about them?" she asked, sounding almost irritated but not quite - must be all the experience in hiding all negative feelings, Severus thought sadly. "I'm yet to hurt myself, and there's no need to be worried. Why he wouldn't let me do those potions?"  
  
The two men glanced at each other seriously. "It's a quite long story," Sirius said then slowly.  
  
"Three years ago, there was an international Potions Masters' meeting," Severus told with a quiet, thoughtful voice. "There were people from all around Europe. Some had taken their spouses, and there were also children there - one Potions Mistress had even brought her week-old baby."  
  
Olivia nodded, her eyes fixed on the pale man. She was obviously waiting for more.  
  
"There was - there was an explosion," Severus went on. "A large one. I myself was, luckily enough, far from the place of the accident and got away nearly unharmed. I was one of the very few ones, as I got no injuries. But 173 were seriously injured. Eighty-seven died. All the children, every single one - there were thirty-four of them - were among the dead. And Lucius - he was in a deep coma for three weeks. We didn't know his fate until he woke up."  
  
Olivia didn't say anything. She merely cast her eyes downward, then, very slowly, nodded. "I understand," she said quietly.  
  
"Since then, Remus has been extremely sensitive about explosions," Sirius explained softly. "He nearly lost Lucius that day, and he's afraid of something similar happening again. And he's reminded of it every single day as Lucius has to use his cane for walking - even the best medi-witches and wizards couldn't prevent his limp."  
  
"Oh," Olivia said quietly. "So that's why he always has his cane with him."  
  
"Right," Severus nodded. "He used to have it before merely for the effect. He rarely even used it anywhere else but in the public. But I haven't seen him taking a single step without it for the last three years."  
  
It was a long time before any of them said anything.  
  
***  
  
Afterwards, Draco and Harry laid on the bed, their limbs intertwined, their skins covered with thin layers of sweat. The both of their minds were lost in thoughts - happy thoughts.  
  
"I want a summer wedding," Draco said. "We can get roses all over the place."  
  
"And lilies," Harry said quietly. "We have to have lilies."  
  
Draco nodded. "Can we get the little Narcairs for a grooms maid and a ring bearer?" he asked then. "I know that Mum would be delighted to dress her little sweethearts. Besides, Maria adores you. She'd die of happiness if we chose her."  
  
"Then we shouldn't do that, right?" Harry chuckled. "Because your mother would get our hide if we harmed her only daughter in any way, leave alone killing her."  
  
"Stupid," Draco smiled, then kissed him on the nose. "Who we'll ask for the best mans?" he asked. "Plus, we need another grooms maid."  
  
"I don't think Olivia would disagree too forcefully," Harry said, smiling also. "As for best mans, I don't know. We don't know many wizards that well, after all." He counted with his fingers. "Lucius, is your father. Remus, as good as. Thomas, your stepfather. Sirius, my adopted father, and Severus, his husband and your uncle. Then there are other relatives, of course - for example Jonah and Malcolm."  
  
Draco frowned. "They'd kill either each other or somebody unlucky enough to get too near them," he pointed out. "Besides, Jonah is a Black by blood. He couldn't manage without getting in some trouble."  
  
"Maybe Malcolm could do it," Harry mused. "And then there's Bill Weasley, he's still rather civil towards us, and of course Charlie, and Percy and Oliver. Then there are others, but nobody we've really kept in contact with."  
  
"You ask one of the Weasleys or Wood, and I'll ask Malcolm," Draco suggested. "It'd do good for Olivia to meet some peers, after all."  
  
Harry looked doubtful. "Maybe it isn't the best idea to make Malcolm the first person trying to befriend her," he said.  
  
Draco waved his hand. "Oh, I'm sure they'll get along," he said carelessly. "And if they don't, well, then we'll deal with it later. Right now, I have other things in mind."  
  
Harry grinned. "And what might those things be?"  
  
Draco grinned back, then kissed again his lover's nose. "Guess twice."  
  
***  
  
"This mirror is connected to a similar one in the Malfoy Manor," Sirius explained. "It can only be opened if it's touched with a ring of both of the Manors. We use it to get the luggage easily when we're visiting each other for longer time. You can get anything you need from your own room."  
  
"Oh," she said. "Thank you."  
  
"No problem," Sirius shrugged, and pressed his own ring against the mirror. Olivia did the same, although a bit hesitantly. The mirror went to the familiar blur.  
  
"I'll send some house-elves over," Sirius said. "Just point at what you need and they'll pick it up. I'll then arrange it that they'll put all the stuff into your guest room here, and take them back when you return."  
  
Olivia nodded. "Thank you," she said again.  
  
Sirius nodded, and clapped his hands. In a second, several house-elves appeared from thin air.  
  
"Sammy, Throbbie, and Leon," he said at the three nearest ones. "Follow Olivia and take her things here. You'll be given the further instructions later."  
  
"As you wish, Master Sirius!" one of the elves squeaked. Then they turned all to look at Olivia, waiting expressions on all of their faces. Olivia watched them warily for a moment, then shrugged, turned around, and stepped through the mirror. The three house-elves followed her.  
  
Sirius turned towards the last one. "Marty," he said to the elf. "Do we have a free room for Olivia? She'll stay with us for some time."  
  
"Of course, Master Sirius," the elf said, nodding furiously. "What about the blue bedroom down the corridor, Master Sirius?"  
  
Sirius hesitated for a moment. Then he nodded. "It's okay," he said. "Lead Olivia there once she's got her stuff from the Malfoy Manor."  
  
"As you wish, Master Sirius."  
  
***  
  
When Olivia returned from her fast trip to her room, there was an important-looking house-elf waiting for her.  
  
"Master Sirius awaits you, young Mistress Malfoy," the elf said. "Marty shows you?"  
  
"Please do," she replied. She glanced sideways at the other house-elves that were carrying her things, feeling slightly worried.  
  
"No worry, young Mistress Malfoy," Marty said as he noticed her gesture. "Your things will be brought to your room here. Marty shows you there now?"  
  
Olivia nodded. She followed the elf out of the room and down the corridor. They found Sirius waiting in front of a dark, wooden door.  
  
"Thanks, Marty," Sirius said briefly. Then he turned around and smiled at Olivia. "This is your room," he said, and opened the door. "Feel free to take a look inside."  
  
Olivia did so. At first, she saw only darkness, but as Sirius spoke a quiet word, the curtains flew aside, baring the windows and letting the light inside.  
  
"This room isn't used very often," Sirius explained quietly. "In fact, I doubt if anybody has even visited this for at least a year. But, I hope you like it."  
  
"It's beautiful," she said, and meant it. It wasn't half as big as her room in Malfoy Manor, but it was still just as beautiful. It was decorated in blue and silver, a heavy four-poster bed in the middle of it. There were just a few windows, but they were large and cast a lot of the cool light of the winter day inside.  
  
"The house-elves will bring your things shortly," Sirius told her. "The bathroom is behind that door, and I'll soon show you the way to the kitchens."  
  
Olivia's attention, however, was caught by two little ornamental objects on the nearby shelf. She walked over to the shelf and looked at it.  
  
There were two tiny angels on the shelf. They were about three inches in height and made of pure crystal. Every feather on the little wings was carved clearly. Every curl of their hair was like real. She lifted one of them from the shelf and studied it carefully. Light from the windows flicked inside the angel as she turned it around.  
  
"Why are these hidden here?" she asked curiously. "They are so beautiful! Why don't you keep them somewhere to see?"  
  
Sirius smiled a bit weakly. "Well..." he started, seemingly a bit uncertain. "It's for Severus. He doesn't like to have them around."  
  
"Why not?" Olivia asked, seemingly puzzled.  
  
"Because Severus was born with the same talent as you," Sirius explained, still very slowly. "But, unlike you, he still possesses the gift--he's still a Seer. He doesn't want to spread the word, it would only call people to us, and that is something he doesn't want, but he has the gift and knows how to use it.  
  
"As you maybe know, to Seers, some objects bring memories. Visions. Dreams." The tall Animagus was quiet for a moment before continuing, "These angels contain the most painful memories - and the most powerful. Even visiting this room for more than a mere moment is enough to spoil a full night's sleep to Severus. Should he stay for longer, or, worse even, touch the angels, he'd get visions wide awake."  
  
"Oh," the girl whispered. Then she stroked slightly the right wing of one of the angels. "But they still are beautiful," she said then. "How can something this beautiful be so evil?"  
  
"You'd be surprised if you knew what disguises the evil can come about in," Sirius said joylessly. "And, the angels aren't evil, But they aren't good, either. They just exist. And the memories in them aren't evil, either. They are only those that we would prefer to forget."  
  
"Why do you still keep these, then?" she asked. "Why not give them away or sell them or just break them?"  
  
"Because sometimes, losing the painful memories would mean losing the pleasant ones also." The tall man looked sad for a moment, but then smiled again, not being able to mope around for a long time. "But what about now going and getting some dinner, okay?" he suggested. "I bet Severus is already looking for us."  
  
***  
  
"Remus?" Lucius called through the door. "Remus, please, talk to me. I told Olivia not to blow up anything anymore. Remus?"  
  
There was no response. The thick door of his husband's secondary bedroom kept just as quiet, locked, and inanimate as before.  
  
He pressed his ear against the door. He was only able to catch a couple of quiet scratches through the thick oak door. But, nothing useful could be heard.  
  
"Remus!" he cried out again. "Remus, love, please... Don't do this to me. Remus!"  
  
Still, he got no reply.  
  
He turned slowly around and left the door. He walked through the corridor, his head bent down in depression.  
  
Remus wouldn't talk to him. Remus, his Remus, who had even forgiven him for becoming a Death Eater, wouldn't talk to him over his mistake.  
  
And he couldn't even blame him.  
  
How could he have been so careless? He knew very well how Remus was about anything even relative to explosions. He knew that Remus was that way because of him. And now, not had he only allowed Olivia to use them as a learning method, he'd even encouraged her to it. Remus had every right to be mad at him!  
  
He only wished it hadn't hurt so much.  
  
He pressed his ring on the nearby mirror. "My study," he said quietly into the silvery mist that appeared in the glass. Then he stepped through it, ending up next to his desk.  
  
He slumped down on his chair, every word of their row echoing clearly in his mind.  
  
And as he pressed his head down in his hands, he remembered exactly what he had come through for Remus.  
  
****  
  
You can vote for the things you'd want to see in this story. You may suggest more than one option at time, but you must tell in what order you'd like to see them.  
  
Options:  
  
1)Flashback: Sirius's proposal  
  
2)Flashback: Blacks' wedding  
  
3)Olivia sleeping with her plushies  
  
4)A Hogwarts faculty member visiting - please specify who  
  
5)A couple (HP/DM, SB/SB, RM/LM) in shower together - only PG-13 though  
  
You can vote by reviewing. :) You all know how - the little "Go" button on the bottom!  
  
*  
  
Next Chapter: Olivia playing with Minerva...  
  
Oh, no. I don't think anybody fell for that. Well, we'll see Lucius's redemption, and the infamous silver burn that finally made up his mind about Remus. 


	10. Redemption

Disclaimer: Only Olivia and the unlikely plot are mine. Everything other belongs to JKR.  
  
A/N: *sigh* This story contains slash. That means male/male romantical actions. To be exact, RL/LM SS/SB and HP/DM romantical actions.  
  
*  
  
.~*~.Our little one.~*~.  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
Redemption  
  
***************************************  
  
This chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.  
  
This chapter is entirely flashbacks.  
  
***************************************  
  
4th of June, 1993  
  
*  
  
Lucius Malfoy frowned slightly as he looked at the parchment in front of him, not really seeing anything on it. Or, if he did see something, the knowledge of it never reached his brains.  
  
He had a lot to think about these past days. What the Potter boy had done made him wonder. Why would the boy set a house-elf free, especially the one that had caused him such harm when trying to "help" him?  
  
He knew that Draco wouldn't have done that. Draco would have happily kicked the creature away to its former owner and waved cheery goodbyes as it limped away.  
  
The problem was that Lucius didn't know if he should be proud or ashamed of this.  
  
Maybe he should be just indifferent. Why should he care how his son treated the house-elves? It wasn't like he'd himself spoiled them or let them be lazy.  
  
But he was never cruel to them. Whatever Dobby had told Potter was because Dobby was a mental - always punishing himself for every tiny thing. The Death Eaters that visited them sometimes also tormented their house-elves, and he had to be cruel in front of them, but he thought that a man who was evil to those so much weaker creatures was a coward. He could fight, and he could torture, but never something that he could win as easily as he could have won a mouse. There was simply no point in doing that.  
  
The Boy Who Lived had no reason to be kind to anyone, according to what Lucius had heard of him. However, he'd had mercy and set Dobby free in a situation where Draco would have been downright cruel. What should he think about that?  
  
'What would Remus think?'  
  
He blinked. Where on Earth had that thought come from? Remus... Remus Lupin. The werewolf he'd secretly dated for... how long was it again... three years? It was already fourteen years since he'd last seen the boy-or, nowadays, the man. Why should he care what Lupin would think?  
  
'Remus would be ashamed. He'd be disappointed.'  
  
Lucius frowned. There was nothing more annoying than the little voice inside his mind. Last time it had told him that he shouldn't give the Weasley girl the diary. He'd given it anyway, of course, but the voice hadn't left him in peace for days after that. In fact the next day it had told him least once, to take the diary back and see that the book was destroyed.  
  
Anyway to Hell with whatever Lupin would think. The werewolf had been pretty, true enough, and nice to play with-very nice, to be exact-but Lucius had soon forgotten him after leaving him behind. He'd sometimes remember the amber eyes, yes, or the golden hair, or the thigh little arse or sharp teeth, but then they faded from his mind again. Lucius Malfoy didn't hang on. Definitely not for years.  
  
He was almost thankful as Avery Apparated in front of him, interrupting his thoughts.  
  
"Lucius," Avery said, without as much as a greeting at first. "I have a task for you. From our Master."  
  
"And what it is?" he asked warily.  
  
"You're to use your Ministry contacts and sneak into the werewolf registries," the other Death Eater told him dryly. "Then you will make a copy of the list of them, so we can go and have a talk with them."  
  
"Whatever for?" Lucius snorted.  
  
"Our Lord is planning to gather his army again," Avery told him. "All the Dark creatures, werewolves among the others, are to join us... Or die."  
  
"More will probably join, considering what they are," Lucius remarked. "Very well. I can do that."  
  
"Our Lord will be pleased." With these words, he Disapparated.  
  
Lucius felt quite stunned. Then another surprising thought hit him.  
  
'Remus is a werewolf.'  
  
He hadn't even had enough time to think about it as yet another thought came to him.  
  
'Remus will never accept.'  
  
'Therefore, Remus will die.'  
  
*  
  
Lucius was very distracted at the moment.  
  
There would be no problems getting the list. He could just get it, take it to Voldemort, and forget it. It wasn't like he'd ever have to participate in the dirty work.  
  
He could just let numerous people be coaxed to the Dark Side, or killed. And for no other reason but because they'd been attacked in the past, or their parents had been.  
  
The little voice in his mind-Severus had once called it his conscience-practically screamed against it. It told him not to do it, to warn the werewolves, to at last realize just how wrong it all was, but he chose to ignore it. Keeping the list back wouldn't help any. Voldemort would get it anyway, and Lucius or his family would be punished. He couldn't warn them, either; the results would still be the same. And about it all being wrong.... Well, he'd been aware of that even before.  
  
Lucius didn't approve Voldemort's actions. Not at all. It was just that he didn't really have options, once he'd received the Mark. He could either stay on Voldemort's side, or die.  
  
He no longer participated in the "real" Death Eater actions. As Voldemort's right-hand man he was too valuable to the Dark to be risked. That was a relief to him. All those rapes, murders, and other things he'd had to do before, all just because of what kind of parents somebody had been born to, nauseated him even now as he looked back at them. The little voice told him that it was wrong, and he agreed with it. It was indeed wrong, and he could do nothing about it.  
  
Lucius had a thirst for power, and power was easier to get near the more powerful ones. And Voldemort was the most powerful right now, despite his half-dead, half-alive state. He was the one Lucius could stay with if he wanted power--and if he wanted to stay alive.  
  
Power, and his life. Those were things he valued over other things. Nothing was more important to him, except his family and closest friends. As long as those people and Lucius himself were safe, it didn't matter to him whether something he did was right or wrong.  
  
Lucius didn't consider himself evil. He didn't consider himself good, either. He was mostly just indifferent, doing what he had to do. Right now, the thing he had to do was to get the list for Voldemort, no matter how wrong it maybe was.  
  
It was nauseating, even more than anything else. He'd witnessed before Voldemort's evilness. He knew that the Dark Lord had murdered, and commanded to murder, because somebody had a Muggle in their family three generations backwards. That he'd never approved, but he had managed to cope with it. Malfoys were a pure family, as were the Snapes. There was nothing for him to fear.  
  
But this. All the werewolves, most of them people who had never done anything wrong. Purebloods as well as Squibs, nothing mattered to Voldemort, if they were cursed. This wasn't about the purity of blood, or saving the blood line like Voldemort had always reasoned his actions. This was only the most purely evil and cruel thing he'd seen in his life. Voldemort was gathering his army, true enough, but he didn't have to do it this way. The motive behind this wasn't even the obsession about pure blood. It was merely Voldemort's will to murder and destroy, to rule everyone.  
  
And it was wrong. More than ever before, he knew it was wrong.  
  
There. Thinking about the werewolves brought another thing to his mind. That thing being Remus Lupin, and what to do about him.  
  
He couldn't just wipe Lupin's name off the list. If Voldemort suspected something, he'd put somebody to get the same list and look at them both. And then, he'd be caught.  
  
But Lucius couldn't let Lupin die. He didn't know exactly what was preventing him, but he just couldn't. He owed Lupin - owed him for more than for his life.  
  
Therefore, he had only one option remaining.  
  
Lucius Malfoy, the Lord of Malfoy, right-hand man to the Dark Lord, had to go to Albus Dumbledore to ask for help.  
  
***  
  
5th of July, 1993  
  
*  
  
"So, the Dark Lord is gathering his army. All the werewolves are to either join him or die." A slight pause. "And you know that how?" Dumbledore asked then, raising one amused eyebrow. The damned man was clearly enjoying the situation.  
  
"Doesn't matter," Lucius said bluntly. "The only thing that matters right now is Lupin. He's on your side, right?"  
  
The Headmaster merely nodded, urging him to continue. He paid no attention to the word "your," which clearly excluded Lucius himself from that side.  
  
"You have to take him to Hogwarts," Lucius said slowly. "The Dark Lord is determined to execute every lycanthropic not willing to join him. Lupin would die. You have to keep him safe here."  
  
"And why should I do that?" Dumbledore asked unnervingly, an annoying twinkle in his eyes. "It would be sad if we lost Remus, true enough, but I cannot endanger the students. Not to mention, if I hired Remus and somebody found out, I'd have Ministry on my neck immediately."  
  
"I can pay -" he started, but the Headmaster silenced him with an abrupt wave of the hand.  
  
"The school doesn't need your money," the old wizard said. "Nor do I. You know what I want. You're well capable of doing that."  
  
Lucius clenched his teeth. He didn't mind that his loyalty to his Lord was under suspect. It wasn't like there was much to begin with. Neither was it annoying that Dumbledore knew. Practically all the Wizarding World knew about his Death Eater-ness, although no one could prove anything. None of these were bothering him.  
  
No. It'd be terribly dangerous, and not only for him. If he'd fail, also Draco and Narcissa would be harmed. Voldemort had never been scared of using his servants' family members to keep them under control.  
  
And if it'd turn out exactly what he was paying for with spying, they'd kill Remus as well.  
  
But, he owed the man too much. Owed for all those nights together, all those tiny waves of warmth the small fingers had made fly around his body, for all those little things Lupin had done to him.  
  
He owed him for his virginity, the largest debt in the Wizarding World. He owed for his innocence, being the one who had taught him all the Dark curses only available.  
  
Slowly, very slowly, he nodded.  
  
"Okay, then," he said, bitterly. "If you keep Lupin here and, in case he gets fired, safe elsewhere, I will spy Voldemort for you. But," he added, as the annoying twinkle multiplied, "only as long as he's safe. If anything happens to him, you won't get another word out of me."  
  
"That much is clear," Dumbledore nodded. "Shall we call it a deal then?"  
  
Lucius nodded as well, drawing his wand. "Deal," he agreed, as the tips of their wands touched each other, thus sealing the agreement.  
  
He was just about to leave the office as Dumbledore's voice called him back.  
  
"May I ask," the Headmaster said, "why do you consider Remus worth putting yourself into such a great personal risk?"  
  
"Because I owe him," Lucius said briefly. "And because I was his friend once. Long, long time ago."  
  
'Because I loved him once,' the little voice said in his head. He chose to ignore it.  
  
Without another word, he left the Headmaster's office.  
  
Once getting outside the grounds, he Disapparated immediately.  
  
*  
  
Lucius Apparated in front of a little cottage. He stood on his place for a while, collecting himself. Then he walked to the cottage and knocked on the door. He heard the fast sound of footsteps behind the door, approaching. Then the door was opened, and he saw Remus Lupin for the first time in years.  
  
Lupin looked tired and older than his years would suggest. His cheekbones stuck out, and he looked dangerously thin. There were dark shadows under his eyes, and there were quite a few silvery strands among his light-brown locks. His former happy, yet weak smile had completely vanished, and instead he had put on a resigned, slightly depressed expression. His amber eyes, however, were burning with life and power. They were the only thing remaining of the old--or, rather, young--Remus Lupin.  
  
"Mr. Malfoy," he said, his voice expressionless. "Please, come in."  
  
"You're not very cautious, I see," he said dryly as he stepped in past the younger man. "One would think that you'd take more care of whom you're letting in your apartment and who not."  
  
"Like I could prevent you if you wanted to come in anyway," Lupin said with an equally dry voice, closing the door behind him. "It's only a few days after the full moon. Therefore, I'm about just as capable of fighting anyone as a deathly ill feather."  
  
Lucius nodded. He couldn't help but remember how weak Lupin had always been around the full moon. However, he stopped that train of thought at time. That meaning, before he'd get to the point in the memories where he used to gather the younger wizard on his arms, comfort him, give him strengthening potions and promise him to stay with him. It was ridiculous.  
  
He truly had been ridiculous in his youth. Dating a Gryffindor, and a werewolf on top of it was one thing. He wasn't as frantic about the whole pureblood thing as he always acted like. In fact, he was more the opposite. He'd seen the dangers of inbreeding around him, and was determined not to let that spoil his own family line. Draco would probably have to marry a pureblood just to keep up the facade, but as long as Lucius was concerned, his son's spouse should be from as far away from Britain and their family as possible. Therefore, Lupin being a werewolf couldn't have interested him less.  
  
But dating a Gryffindor werewolf and promising to stay with them forever, to love them, was truly ridiculous. Voldemort would never approve that, and Lucius did nothing that he didn't approve. He valued his life, and the lives of his family, far higher than anything else.  
  
But Lucius Malfoy wasn't young or ridiculous anymore. He was a grown man, who knew what he had to do. He wouldn't fall into the whole fuss about "love" and "loyalty" anymore.  
  
Not even if Lupin had the most shining amber eyes in the world.  
  
Lucius let Lupin lead himself further inside. He was in no hurry, now that everything was settled.  
  
Lupin eyed him curiously as they sat down in armchairs opposite to each other in the small living room of Lupin's house. The furniture was just as shaggy and worn-out as the man himself, and there was an atmosphere of stopped time and silence all around the apartment.  
  
"So, what did you come for?" Lupin asked, startling him from his thoughts. Lucius collected his senses, considering how much he could say, and what he would say.  
  
Well, there were no reasons to keep anything secret. It wasn't like Lupin hadn't known about his actions among the Death Eaters even before. "Lord Voldemort has given some orders to his followers," he said, forcing his voice to keep even. "All the werewolves are to either join his forces or die." He eyed Lupin carefully, waiting for his response.  
  
"I was kind of expecting this," the werewolf said calmly. "It was only a matter of time until you'd turn your attention to us Dark creatures." Then he looked at Lucius watchfully. "So what are you doing here? Asking me about my choice? Then you can Avada Kedavra me right here on my seat. I'm sorry, but I won't turn to Voldemort."  
  
"No," he said, a bit taken aback by Lupin's calm, casual speech. "I came to offer you an option."  
  
Lupin said nothing, merely raised an eyebrow, his expression urging Lucius to continue.  
  
"I've come to an agreement with Headmaster Dumbledore," Lucius explained as calmly as he could manage. "You will attend Hogwarts as a DADA teacher the next year. Even if you're fired due to your Lycanthropy, they will keep you safe."  
  
Lupin eyed him sharply for a while, not saying a word. Then, suddenly, he snapped, "Okay, what are you looking for?"  
  
Lucius was taken a bit aback. "Excuse me?"  
  
Lupin let out a frustrated sigh, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. "You heard me, Lucius. What are you after? If it is the obvious, then I'm sorry, I can't accept this offer. I am not, and I will not be, anyone's whore. Not for anything, not even for my life."  
  
Lucius blinked. This wasn't really the reaction he'd been expecting. "I can assure you," he said, "this has nothing to do with that particular thing."  
  
"What it is, then?" the werewolf asked sharply. "It's well known that Malfoys do nothing for free."  
  
Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Would you believe me if I told I've realized how wrong I was to ever join Voldemort and am trying to make up for it?"  
  
Lupin said nothing, just shook his head with a dry smile.  
  
Lucius couldn't help but smile. Was he that obvious? Well, about this particular matter he certainly was, but...  
  
Oh, well. Back to the business.  
  
"I decided that I owe you," Lucius said, and shrugged. "I owe you enough to do this. Besides, no matter how this all ends, I'll be on the stronger side--whatever side wins, I'll be near the most powerful people."  
  
Lupin snorted. "How practical of you," he said dryly. "But I must say that I'm surprised. Your previous statement suggests that you really think whatever Voldemort is doing is wrong." Lupin leaned back in his seat, letting his head rest tiredly on the back of the seat. "Do you think so?" he asked, watching him intently.  
  
Lucius shrugged. "I'm well aware that whatever the Dark Lord does, must be wrong," he admitted calmly.  
  
"And you still stay on his side?"  
  
"Do I have any options?" Lucius scrutinized his long-fingered, perfect hands, then raised his eyes back at Lupin. "I've chosen my side, and Voldemort greatly disapproves traitors. Should I leave him now, my family and I would be downright executed. Whatever you think about me, I'm not going to let my son and wife be murdered."  
  
"I'm impressed." Lupin's dry tone hadn't changed a bit. "Last time I heard you talking about your family, you were struggling against ever marrying Narcissa Snape. And now you don't want her to be harmed? If I didn't know better, I'd say you've developed feelings for her."  
  
"She's a good friend," Lucius snapped. "And what I feel for my wife is none of your business."  
  
"No," Lupin admitted, "it isn't. It ceased to be my business long time ago."  
  
Lucius couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about that. Remus was right. Once, it had been his business. Then, something just... happened. He couldn't quite get a grip on it, but something it was, and....  
  
"What exactly was it?" he asked, trying to keep his voice careless. "I don't seem to remember. When was the point we stopped contacting eachother?"  
  
"You really don't remember?" Lupin asked, raising his eyebrows with a lopsided smile. "The point I decided to stop was when your name was published in the Prophet. In the list of disappeared."  
  
Lucius nodded, understanding. As the War had been coming, the Daily Prophet had begun publishing a list of the people who had disappeared. They never assumed anything in the newspaper, but everyone knew how to read the list. If somebody on the list was a half-blood or a Muggleborn, they were dead. If they were pureblood, they were on the Dark Side. Plain and simple.  
  
'Think about that!' the little voice told him angrily. 'You left him alone without as much as a word of explanation or a goodbye! You were a downright bastard back then, Lucius Malfoy!'  
  
As he thought about it, and had to admit that the little voice was right. He himself had been too excited about the new power he was receiving and the oncoming war to think about how his young lover might feel. But as he thought about it now, he realized how awful it had to have been to Remus--to have the only person you thought had cared about you turn into an opponent. Alone and distressed, in the middle of war where both sides would have been willing to kill him if they knew what he was. And as depressed as the werewolf even usually was...  
  
"How come you're still alive?" he asked bluntly.  
  
"Excuse me?" Now it was Lupin's turn to blink in surprise.  
  
"How are you still alive? I can't imagine you managed without at least attempting to kill yourself. Not with the naturally depressed character you have."  
  
"You're overestimating your own value to me," Lupin said, and snorted. Then he sighed. "You're right," he admitted simply. "Fortunately, I had friends who saved me. Otherwise, I would have died. And wouldn't it have been a real pity if I'd died for a bastard like you."  
  
"Don't call me a bastard," Lucius said with the same conversational tone. "I'm pretty certain that my parents were married. Besides, I'm trying to save your hide here, and not to mention endangering my own. One might think that you wouldn't call me names after that."  
  
"One might also think that you wouldn't have left me without as much as a goodbye after three years together," the Gryffindor replied just as calmly.  
  
"You should know better by now than to trust my kind," Lucius said with a careless shrug.  
  
"'Your kind' meaning what?" Lupin asked. "Malfoys? Slytherins? Death Eaters? Pure humans? Or just people who lure you into their bed on the first day they're of age?"  
  
"You didn't seem too unwilling by then," he pointed out lazily.  
  
"I never said I was unwilling."  
  
"Well, this conversation is not getting anywhere," he said with a bored tone. "If neither of us has anything good to say, I think I should just leave."  
  
"Er..." Lupin hesitated for a moment. Then he said softly, "Thank you. For doing this for me. I can only imagine what this could cost you if you were revealed."  
  
"I won't be," Lucius said calmly. "Besides, I owe you. That's the reason why I'm doing this."  
  
"So there are no other reasons?" the werewolf asked, his hand reaching out to allow the slim fingers to brush slightly against Lucius's hand. "Just because you owe me?" he asked again, drawing back again.  
  
Lucius swallowed. The touch of Lupin's -- Remus', said the little voice -- fingers sent a tingling feeling through his hand, arm, and eventually his whole body. He hadn't felt anything like that for...  
  
For fourteen years.  
  
Not after the day he'd last seen Remus before "disappearing."  
  
"No," he replied. "Not just because I owe you." He raised his eyes, searching the other wizard's amber orbs. "Also because I don't want you to get hurt." It wasn't even a lie. The little voice inside his mind had been nagging on him constantly, telling him that ensuring Remus' safety should be his first priority. He didn't particularly agree with it, but he had to admit that he would have felt bad if Remus had been murdered because of him. Therefore, he had to prevent it.  
  
"Nice to hear," Remus said, smiling slightly. Lucius couldn't recall the point where he'd slipped from thinking about 'Lupin' to thinking about 'Remus.' He didn't exactly care, either.  
  
"I figured as much," he said, trying to force the usual coolness into his voice but failing for reasons he couldn't really tell.  
  
Remus got up on his feet. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "right after your disappearance I thought you were just spying, or they'd attacked you. I couldn't believe you'd be completely evil." He smiled slightly and glanced at Lucius, the amber eyes twinkling in the light. "Maybe I should listen to my instincts more often, seeing that they were right about this."  
  
"Nice to hear that at least someone trusts me," Lucius said a bit dryly. "When I told Severus I'd found out he was a spy, he thought that I was going to kill him. Honestly, we'd been friends for seven years at that point! Am I really that horrible?"  
  
"Not horrible," Remus said thoughtfully, walking slowly to the window and looking out of it. "Just too controlled. You never let your emotions show up. It's sometimes hard to tell if you have them at all, considering how cool you are."  
  
"I have to keep my mask," he said with a shrug, standing as well. He didn't like sitting when somebody else was standing. The years of war had done it to him; he always wanted to be in the best position for a fight, if only subconsciously. "Just as Severus, I have a facade to retain. More often than not, it requires acting cold and emotionless. Showing feelings means showing weaknesses. Besides possibly blowing up my facade, I'd give easy to the weapons at Voldemort's hands. He knows how to use one's weaknesses against them."  
  
"And again, it all comes down to Voldemort," Remus said, and sighed. "He controls your life, Lucius, no matter what you think." He was quiet for a moment, then asked softly, "Was it worth it, Lucius? Was joining Voldemort worth it at all?"  
  
'Worth losing my friend's trust?' Lucius thought. 'Or worth losing the Wizarding World's trust?  
  
'Worth losing Remus?  
  
'Worth having to murder and curse and rape and torture?'  
  
At last, he came to a decision. "No," he said quietly. "It wasn't."  
  
Remus nodded, remaining quiet. For a moment, neither of them said a word.  
  
Lucius was distressed. His usually calm mask was shattering in a rapid pace. Remus' presence always did that to him for some unknown reason. The silence was getting pressuring, distracting him too much to allow him to consider things properly.  
  
He took a couple of hasty steps towards the other man. "Remus," he said softly before he could stop himself, "can you ever forgive me?"  
  
Remus at first merely watched him. Then, slowly, painfully slowly, his lips curved into a small smile. "Consider yourself forgiven," the werewolf murmured, reaching his hands out for Lucius.  
  
Lucius grasped the small hands, pulling Remus nearer. Then he wrapped his arms on the small brunette's waist, his gray eyes studying the amber orbs for a while.  
  
Then, as he felt Remus' small, light fingertips running up and down his back, he leaned downwards to meet the lips of his long-forgotten lover.  
  
And when he at last reached them, Remus replied the kiss.  
  
***  
  
9th of July, 1993  
  
*  
  
"Ah, Severus," Lucius said, nodding at his brother-in-law. "I've been expecting you."  
  
"I see that," Severus replied, eyeing the teapot and two cups on the table in front of Lucius. "Would you be terribly disturbed if I sat down?"  
  
"Of course," Lucius replied and chuckled. "I'll cut your neck if you do that."  
  
"Right," Severus grinned and sat down opposite to him. They both poured a cup of tea for themselves.  
  
"So, what's bringing you here?" Lucius asked, although he had rather good idea about what Severus had came for.  
  
Soon, he was proved right. "I heard from Headmaster Dumbledore," Severus said, "about your recent... developments." He glanced curiously at Lucius. "Is it indeed true that you are now spying for the Light?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, it is," Lucius replied quite calmly. He had nothing to keep in secret from Severus. They both knew that Lucius would receive numerous benefits by turning Severus in to Voldemort. They both also knew that he'd never do that. Lucius might be hungry for power, but not enough to give up his friends or family. Lucius liked to think that he wasn't one of Voldemort's tools; he preferred using the Dark Lord on his own purposes.  
  
"And why are you doing that?" Severus asked just as peacefully. "You've never fully agreed to our Lord's beliefs, so it can't be just a sudden realization that you've been on the wrong side. Neither are you in Dumbledore's debt. And you wouldn't risk your life just for fun. Therefore, what are you receiving from the Light?"  
  
"Protection," Lucius replied briefly.  
  
Severus raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything.  
  
"Not for myself, of course," he continued. "You've heard of Voldemort's recent plans, right?"  
  
Severus nodded slowly, then his eyes widened slightly. "You aren't saying that..." he started, but didn't finish his sentence.  
  
Lucius nodded. "A werewolf," he said. "Remus Lupin, to be exact." He followed Severus' reactions curiously.  
  
The younger Slytherin's eyes widened even more. "Remus Lupin?" he echoed. "And how are they protecting him?"  
  
"Offering him the DADA position," Lucius replied. "Also, if he loses it, they'll keep him safe elsewhere." He saw Severus nod. They both knew that despite all his desire for it, Severus would never get that particular teaching position. Not with his Death Eater status.  
  
"Why did you do that?" Severus asked then, eyeing him curiously.  
  
Lucius shrugged. "I owe him," he explained.  
  
"Owe for what?" Severus took a sip of his tea. "Did he save your life or something?"  
  
"No," Lucius replied calmly. "I owe him for more."  
  
At this, Severus almost choked on his tea. Lucius patted his back until he got his breathing running again.  
  
"You must be kidding," Severus then said weakly, glancing at him in disbelief.  
  
"I'm deadly serious," the blonde smirked. "Is it too hard to you to imagine that I might manage to seduce even a Gryffindor?"  
  
"No," Severus said, "the fact that I can't accept is that you fell for a Gryffindor."  
  
Lucius raised his eyebrows. "Not much better yourself, I might add," he pointed out. Severus glared at him sharply.  
  
"Lucius, please... For the sake of my mental health, tell me that it was just that one time," the younger man pleaded then. "And, for Merlin's sake, tell me that he had already graduated at least!"  
  
Lucius shook his head. "Nope," he said, secretly enjoying the other man's distress. "It was three years running. And our first time was the fifteenth of April, 1976. His sixteenth birthday."  
  
"Oh, fuck," Severus said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I might believe a life's debt of Lupin's from you. He's a Gryffindor. He might do just something like that. But Lucius... The debt of virginity? Honestly, what were you thinking?"  
  
"That he was a nice, pretty young man," Lucius replied calmly. "And a damn good kisser, by the way."  
  
Severus glanced at him suspiciously. "You didn't by any chance visit him after leaving Hogwarts, did you?" the younger man asked.  
  
"What? Me?" Lucius said, playing innocent. "Would I do something like that?" Then his face melted into a smile. "Yes, I did," he admitted. "At first he was suspicious, but eventually believed that I had no other purposes for my actions but keeping him safe."  
  
Now it was Severus' turn to raise an eyebrow. "And does he believe right?"  
  
"Well, yes," Lucius said, shrugging. "I didn't expect anything else. Everything that came about was just some pleasant extra benefit."  
  
Severus nodded understandingly. "So you got back into his pants?"  
  
"But Severus," Lucius said, playing surprised, "I'm horrified. Since when have you used such rude language?"  
  
"Ever since I began to hang out with you," the other man replied innocently.  
  
"I figured as much," Lucius chuckled. "And, yes, you're right. But that's something I'm not going to spare you any more details about."  
  
"And I'm not asking you to do that," Severus said with a dry chuckle. They both sipped their tea for a couple of times. Then Severus said, conversationally, "I'm near a breakthrough in my explorations."  
  
Lucius nodded in response. "So may I assume you'll get the potion ready for September?" he asked almost pleadingly.  
  
Severus returned the nod. "I already promised that to Dumbledore," he said, and let his cup down on the table. "He was very pleased, to say the least. He'd already been worried about how he might arrange Lupin's teaching schedule to fit the full moon, and the Wolfsbane will be a great help."  
  
Lucius nodded again. "That's good," he said, then sighed. "I just hope there was some way to prevent it completely."  
  
Severus didn't say anything. Suddenly, after a moment of silence, he said, "Voldemort will want me to turn him in."  
  
"What?" Lucius said, surprised. Then he understood. "Ah, Remus' Lycanthropy. Yes, I am aware of that." He sighed again, then glanced at Severus. "He still hasn't given up the hope that you'll become a DADA teacher and give him a better footstep at Hogwarts?"  
  
Severus shook his head. "Nope. He's hoping for either me or some other of his servants getting it. Maybe being dead confuses your mind. He should know that after Squirrel, Dumbledore will be very careful in choosing new teachers."  
  
"And still he's hiring a werewolf," Lucius said with a little smile. "Surely he realizes the fact that you can't just go around yelling, 'Lupin is a werewolf, Lupin is a werewolf?'"  
  
"No, supposedly not," Severus smirked. "Voldemort may be confused, but he's not stupid. He knows that I can't fail Dumbledore's trust - but he also knows that I can drop hints every now and then."  
  
"So be it," Lucius said. "Dumbledore promised to keep Remus safe, however. He knows that I'm a too valuable source of knowledge to throw away, so he's not going to risk Remus' safety."  
  
"Lucius?" Severus asked. As the blonde man snapped his eyes back at his friend, he continued, "You do realize that you're endangering not only yourself but your whole family with this?"  
  
"Of course. But you know that the only debt greater than the life's debt is that of virginity." Lucius sipped his tea again. "Besides, he is a damn good kisser." He raised his eyes thoughtfully at the ceiling. "I was with him for three years, after all. And this annoying little voice in the back of my mind--you know this one, don't you?"  
  
"Conscience?" Severus suggested, smiling.  
  
"No, not that one," Lucius said, and frowned. "My conscience, like you call it, sounds like Narcissa on her worst. This other little voice sounds like…. Well, I don't know. But anyway, it tells me that I can't leave him alone. And I get a warm feeling whenever I'm around him. It feels nice to be with him."  
  
"Lucius, old mate, I think you're in love," Severus observed gently.  
  
"Yeah," he said with a resigned sigh, "I might be."  
  
***  
  
12th of June, 1996  
  
*  
  
A Death Eater meeting took place in an old, deserted house somewhere in the countryside. The house had been surrounded by numerous charms and spells, preventing anyone without the Dark Mark Apparating or Disapparating there. It also prevented all magical spying, eavesdropping, and watching.  
  
Therefore, Lucius had to do it from the inside.  
  
He stood calmly in the midst of the other Death Eaters. Lord Voldemort was growing annoyed. Petigrew was still to come, as well as two other men. And Voldemort didn't like waiting.  
  
Petigrew. The mere thought made him boil inside. Trust the Ministry to fail. They'd caught Petigrew, they'd dragged him to the Ministry, they'd got the trial held. And what did Ministry do? Let the rat escape half an hour before he'd received the Dementor's kiss!  
  
And Fudge had been too afraid to even tell anyone that he'd let the murderer of the Potters to escape yet again. If Lucius hadn't found out in the next meeting, they would all have been happily thinking that Petigrew was lying in the dungeons of Azkaban, mindless. The majority of the Wizarding World still didn't know.  
  
Voldemort was growing impatient. Just as Lucius thought the red-eyed wizard would explode, the doors opened. Three Death Eaters, one of which had a silver hand, walked inside. The two with normal hands--Petigrew's companions - were dragging a struggling man between them. The captured man was wearing a gray robe with a large hood keeping his head from the sight.  
  
"I'm sorry for not arriving earlier, my Lord," Petigrew said, kneeling down to kiss the bastard's hem, "but as you can see, we were a bit preoccupied." The two Death Eaters dragging the hooded man also bowed a little.  
  
"We caught someone sneaking around," one of them said nastily. "Someone who you'd probably like to meet, my Lord." He and the other one of the taller Death Eaters shoved someone on his knees on the floor. "Peter caught him by arm. That's why the burn. He's silenced, so he won't disturb you unless you want him to speak."  
  
Lucius took a sharp breath. The sleeve of the captured man had slid upwards when he'd taken support from the floor in order to prevent himself falling down to the floor his face first. Therefore, the black, obviously painful burn in the pale arm was clearly seen.  
  
The burn was clearly shaped like a hand.  
  
Who could a silver hand burn like that... except a werewolf?  
  
The stranger's hood flew aside as someone murmured a spell. As Lucius saw the all too familiar honey-silver hair he felt like his heart had frozen.  
  
"Oh my, what do we have here?" Voldemort asked in a mock-singsong voice. "Bless me, isn't it the werewolf friend of Severus' husband? Oh, that's nice!"  
  
"I heard he's befriended Severus himself as well," Lucius said, struggling to keep his voice even. "And he's also friends with the Potter boy." He thanked Severus in his mind for the numerous Occlumency lessons he'd received from the younger Slytherin. Otherwise, Voldemort would have easily caught his distressed thoughts. All he really wanted to do was to run, take Remus, and go somewhere as far away as possible.  
  
He saw Remus' head jerk up as the werewolf heard his voice. Fortunately, he came back to his senses soon, and didn't turn him in by staring at him. He did look at him for long enough, however, that Lucius could see the shock and disbelief in his expression.  
  
Lucius fought down the ashamed feeling. Remus knew what he was, and what he had to do in order to keep up his facade. Remus also approved this, he had said he did. He didn't want Lucius to become like Severus; trapped in Hogwarts and sure to be killed should he ever lay a foot out of there. Lucius of course didn't want that himself, either.  
  
He also didn't want to make all his loved ones like that.  
  
"Really?" Voldemort snarled. "Then I'll be sure to treat him with the respect he needs." He pointed a wand at him, murmuring a quiet incantation. Immediately magical ropes flew from his wand, wrapping themselves around Remus' slim body.  
  
Now Remus locked his amber eyes at the Dark Lord. Lucius could clearly see the pure hatred and anger boiling in his soul.  
  
"Take down the silencing charms," Voldemort ordered emotionlessly. "We'll soon hear him scream."  
  
Lucius swallowed. He felt a fist clenching around his heart. They'd talked about this possibility, even before Severus had been revealed as a spy. Remus had always insisted that their work as spies was much more important, and should he get caught, they shouldn't raise a finger to help him if it'd endanger their facades. They'd agreed, no matter how difficult it had been to Lucius.  
  
Now, his promise was being tested. He knew that Remus wouldn't approve if he blew his mask just to get the werewolf out of trouble. Therefore, he could just stand back and watch, fearing what tortures Voldemort had prepared for his lycanthropic lover.  
  
"Stand back and watch," Voldemort ordered maliciously. "I'm going to show you how to make a werewolf scream." Then he murmured again a quick spell, pointing at Remus.  
  
Immediately, the ropes turned to silver.  
  
Lucius could see the hatred being replaced by horror and agony. Remus' breathing became faster and faster as he struggled against the burning feeling, which he was able to get even through his clothes. The Death Eaters watched, majority of them amused, Lucius fairly horrified and disgusted.  
  
Yet another spell was murmured, and the ropes began to become shorter little by little, tightening around Remus, burning their way through his robes.  
  
At this point, Remus did scream. Loudly.  
  
Lucius could hardly keep himself from throwing up, and just as hard it was to just stand back. Remus' face was a mask of fear and pain, his mouth opened in an endless scream, his eyes wide with horror. He tried to struggle free from the silver, only managing to burn himself more.  
  
"We could just sit and watch," Voldemort said menacingly, "but I think we could leave Dumbledore and his pitiful little army some fresh evidences of my power. Smegal!"  
  
"Yes, my Lord?" asked a tiny Death Eater with an annoying, raspy voice.  
  
"I believe you still have those untraceable owls?"  
  
"Of course, my Lord," the small man replied. Neither of them cared about the endless, pained screaming on the background of their conversation.  
  
"Fine. I want you all to Disapparate now. Once you reach your home, Smegal, you're to send one untraceable Owl to Dumbledore, telling him the coordinates of this place. We wouldn't have used it anymore anyway, it doesn't matter if we leave Lupin here for them to find." With these words, the Dark Lord Disapparated, clearly insisting everyone to do the same.  
  
Lucius was one of the first to leave. He just couldn't bear it there, Remus' frantic screams echoing in his mind. As soon as he Apparated on the grounds of the Manor and saw no one near him, he crouched down and vomited.  
  
As he got up on shaky legs, his face pale and covered with a layer of cold sweat, he forced himself to consider the options. He couldn't leave Remus there. He just couldn't. There was a chance, maybe a faint one but still a chance, that Remus would survive no matter how bad his injuries were.  
  
There was also a chance that one or more Death Eaters had decided to ignore their Lord's orders and stayed behind, enjoying Remus' pain and eventual death.  
  
That didn't matter to him. He was becoming more and more furious instead of shocked every moment. Soon he'd reach the point where he could easily use the killing curse on at least three people in a minute and manage to Finish off them all. If anyone stood between him and Remus, they would be dead.  
  
With these thoughts in mind, he Disapparated immediately, soon Apparating in the same house as he had left just moments ago.  
  
Not caring if someone had stayed behind, he rushed inside the room where the meeting had taken place.  
  
In the middle of the room lay Remus.  
  
His cries had now lowered to quiet sobs. Lucius couldn't bear looking at his injuries, he just pressed the tip of his wand at the ropes and whispered a quick spell, transfiguring the cruel metal to oxygen - a very useful spell. One couldn't make anything completely vanish, but turning it into air was nearly the same.  
  
As the silver disappeared, Remus fainted.  
  
Lucius gently raised him with a levitation spell, not daring to touch the injured body. Then, after surrounding the body with various shielding charms, he started thinking about what he could do.  
  
They were far from both Hogwarts and St. Mungo's. He didn't have a broom. He couldn't even Apparate nearer either of the possible destinations with his unconscious lover. The same went for Portkeys-- nothing could prevent him creating an unauthorized Portkey, but he couldn't risk the travel with Remus.  
  
Therefore, he was left with only one option for transportation.  
  
The mere thought made him grimace.  
  
He put up his familiar disguise. It was a quick glamour spell he always used when dealing with the Order members who weren't aware of his identity, as well as every time he had to do something that wouldn't fit his Death Eater facade. Black hair, red robes, harsh features - only the silver eyes were the same, being impossible to change with spells.  
  
This disguise had a name - George Johnson - a personality, a job, a family, and a past, all different to those of his. It had saved his life as Severus had been forced to tell Voldemort about Dumbledore's new spy in order to keep up his own facade. It had saved his life as he'd limped to Madam Pomfrey through a group of furious Aurors ready to kill anyone with the Dark Mark. It had saved his life as one of the Order, a witch called Gwendolyn Smith, had decided that Voldemort was more powerful than Dumbledore and had spilt all her information in a Death Eater meeting.  
  
Now, the disguise would save Remus' life. At least he hoped so.  
  
It was night already. He levitated Remus out of the house, listening to any sign of other people around. He saw a single wand on the floor near the door and, realizing that it must be Remus', pocketed it. As he got outside, he did the one thing he'd never do.  
  
He pointed out his wand, calling for the Knight Bus.  
  
All too soon, and yet not soon enough, the annoying purple vehicle stopped in front of him. The driver looked at him at first wonderingly. Then his eyes flew wide as he saw Remus' limp body flying in the air.  
  
"To St. Mungo's," Lucius said with a raspy voice, tossing a couple of coins to him, "and fast. He doesn't have much time."  
  
The driver nodded, not needing more coaxing. He started driving as fast as he could.  
  
Lucius lowered Remus on a nearby bed, not wanting to risk him if his own concentration failed. Then he transfigured another bed to a chair, sitting down on it.  
  
He didn't even notice the passing of time. He merely sat there, glancing worriedly at Remus, who remained unconscious. Therefore, he startled as the bus suddenly stopped.  
  
"We're there," the driver said. "Go and get him fixed." Lucius nodded and levitated Remus again in the air, rushing out of the car.  
  
He led Remus inside the large hospital in a rush. As he got inside, the receptionist raised her eyes at him. When she saw what he was levitating with him, she gasped.  
  
"W-what..." she stammered, unable to finish her sentence. She stared at Remus' body, a mass of bloody flesh and ashes, in horror. Only his lover's head and lower legs were left unharmed.  
  
"A silver burn," Lucius said briefly. "He's lycanthropic."  
  
"I see." She hurriedly wrote something down. "Go to the third floor. Once you get there, go to the second corridor, you'll be in the Lycanthrope Section. I'll have an emergency called over there."  
  
Lucius nodded, not staying for further instructions. He practically ran towards the stairs, all the time gently guiding Remus with him. He reached the third floor in no time at all.  
  
He glanced around him. He saw a door with the sign, "Lycanthrope Section, 3 II." He threw the door open and led Remus inside the corridor.  
  
He was greeted by a group of six mediwitches and mediwizards, obviously waiting for them. Even they paled seeing Remus' body.  
  
"That's the worst silver burn I've ever seen," one of them muttered. "What happened?"  
  
"There--there were Death Eaters," Lucius explained, forcing his voice to keep even. "He went to try and spy on them. When he didn't come back, I was worried and went looking for him. And..." His voice trailed off as he again glanced at Remus.  
  
"I see." The mediwizard waved at a couple of others, who took Remus on their own charms. Lucius released his own magic, allowing them to levitate his lover through a nearby doorway. Most of the doctors followed, only one mediwitch remaining.  
  
"Come with me, please," the doctor said. She was a young woman, blonde hair with grayish-green eyes. As Lucius hesitated, she continued, "I assure you that your friend is in good hands. St. Mungo's has some of the most skilled Lycanthrope doctors in the whole Wizarding World. If he can be saved, it'll happen here."  
  
Lucius bit his lip and nodded, following the woman. She led him into a waiting room and told him to sit down.  
  
"We'll inform you immediately when we know more," she assured him with a careful smile. She was obviously quite shocked herself. "Please, make yourself comfortable. We'll do our best for your friend."  
  
Lucius nodded. "Is there any fireplace nearby?" he asked then. Some of his senses were already returning as he got in leads of his shock and worry. "I should call some people."  
  
"In the room next to this," the mediwitch said, pointing at a door in the corner. Lucius nodded, walking to the door as she left.  
  
He stepped into the room. There was nothing but a fireplace there. He murmured a quick spell, lighting up the fire, then threw some Floo powder from the small jar into the flames. "Albus Dumbledore," he called.  
  
The Headmaster's head appeared in the flames immediately. "George!" he exclaimed as he saw the disguise, knowing better than to call him by his real name. The risk was too large. "I just got a message about Remus. Do you know about him? I had some people go there as soon as I received the owl, but they found nothing."  
  
"They found nothing, because I've already taken him," Lucius replied. "I'm at St. Mungo's, I brought him here minutes ago. They've just gotten him into the operating room."  
  
"I see." Dumbledore nodded, then asked, a bit cautiously, "Do they know if he'll survive yet?"  
  
Lucius sighed deeply, then shook his head. "They told me they'll inform me as soon as possible," he said, his voice expressionless with all the held-back emotions. "He looks really bad, though."  
  
The Headmaster nodded, understanding. "I'll tell the others that Remus is in good hands," he said. "Let us know as soon as anything happens."  
  
"I will," Lucius promised. "But don't let Black come here. He'll go mad, and it'll be me who he'll be mad at."  
  
Dumbledore looked serious. "It wasn't your fault, Lucius," he assured the younger wizard, understanding what was distracting him the most. "You couldn't have done anything. Besides, Remus would be disappointed if you had done something."  
  
Lucius sighed, and nodded. "I know that," he said quietly. "I still can't help feeling that I could have helped him."  
  
"Do you now see how evil Voldemort truly is?" the Headmaster asked then, not going to give up a perfect opportunity to try and coax him completely to the Light.  
  
Lucius smiled faintly. "I've been aware of that for ages," he said. He knew what Dumbledore was after, and played along, like he always did. Lucius Malfoy now belonged to the Light Side, thanks to numerous conversations with Remus and Severus. He wasn't going to tell that to Dumbledore, though. At least not yet. That would have spoilt the man's pride and joy about "the accomplishment" in dealing with him.  
  
"I'm glad to hear that." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, but then his cheerful smile faded away. "I'm truly sorry about Remus. I'd help, but my medical abilities are rather limited. I'm sure that St. Mungo's is the place where he can be healed, if anywhere."  
  
Lucius nodded briefly. "That's what they said." He was quiet for a moment, then said, "Well... I'll call you if anything happens."  
  
"That's good." At this, Dumbledore's head disappeared from the flames.  
  
Lucius lingered for a moment, then turned around and left the room. He sat down in a chair in the waiting room, too nervous and worried to do anything but fear for Remus.  
  
After a time that felt endless, the door finally opened. He raised his eyes at the approaching mediwitch. He forced himself to ask, both fearing and hoping a quick answer, "Will--will he make it?"  
  
To his relief, the mediwitch broke into a broad smile. "Yes, he will," she said. "Werewolves heal incredibly well, and he's much stronger than he looks. It will take quite some time from him to recover, as they always have some difficulty in healing the silver injuries, but he will live."  
  
"Good," Lucius sighed. He was happy beyond words now.  
  
"Are you a friend of his?" the mediwitch asked then. "If so, could you fill these papers for our patient records? I assume he's a registered lycanthrope, right?"  
  
"Yes," Lucius replied, quickly collecting his senses. "I am his friend, and he is indeed registered. He has been for over thirty years already."  
  
"I see." The mediwitch handed him some parchments, a quill, and an ink bottle. "The operation will continue for several more hours. You can inform other friends if you like, but I'm afraid we can't allow any visitors for at least three or so days."  
  
Lucius nodded. "Thank you." He looked at the forms. They demanded quite a lot of knowledge, but nothing that he didn't know. Remus' name, age, birthday, that kind of stuff. The only bit he had to think about was his werewolf registration number. After a while, he remembered it, though--he'd given Remus a golden bracelet with the number as a replacement for the Ministry's simple copper one, which he thought didn't look good enough with Remus' gold-silver hair.  
  
It took him some time to fill the forms. He then left the room in search of the mediwitch, which he found in the nearby room working on some paperwork. He handed the forms to her, receiving thanks in return. Then he left again to the firecall room.  
  
"Ah, Lucius," Dumbledore smiled as soon as he'd called the man's name. "There are many people here curious to hear your news." The Headmaster noticed the little smile on his face, and the old wizard's smile widened. "Is it safe to assume that the change has happened to better?"  
  
Lucius nodded. "He will make it," he informed the Headmaster. "It will take lots of time from him to recover, however. They won't allow visitors for at least three days, so you still have to keep Black on a leash."  
  
Dumbledore chuckled. "I'll tell Sirius your news," he said, his eyes twinkling merrily. "Is there anything else we need to know, or anything you want to ask?"  
  
"Nothing," Lucius replied. "Other than how were they able to catch him in the first place, but I assume that can be dealt with later." He then thought of something, and frowned. "Tell them not to spill this information around," he warned. "No one outside of Remus' closest friends, not even inside the Order. It's better if the Dark Lord doesn't know that Remus is still alive. Otherwise, they'd maybe use their advantage on Remus' weakened state and hurt him more. That time, they may manage to kill him."  
  
"We've already agreed not to tell anyone if he survives," Dumbledore assured him. "And as for the how, I'm afraid we will have to wait until Remus can tell us himself. Unless you hear something, that is."  
  
"Very well." Lucius nodded. "I'll see if I can have any more information about his condition once the operation is over. After that, I'll come to Hogwarts."  
  
"So be it." Dumbledore nodded in return, and was gone again.  
  
*  
  
"Mister Johnson?" the mediwitch called his fake-name. "I wanted to tell you that your friend's operation is over. He will indeed survive--luckily at that, considering his former miserable condition."  
  
"That's good," Lucius sighed. "What is his current condition? How is he"  
  
"Well..." She glanced through his papers, then said, "most of the skin in his upper body has been or will be re-created with spells and potions, as it was almost completely burned and couldn't be healed. With some luck, he'll be awake in the morning and on his feet after a week, which is extremely good with the oncoming full moon. That'll hold his recovery back a bit, but not so much that it will be extremely dangerous.  
  
"He'll still have some difficulty with moving around for at least a month, and he should avoid all extra work and efforts for two months, as he'll be rather easily tired and sickly until he's fully recovered."  
  
Lucius nodded. He hadn't expected anything else. The werewolves healed fast to their feet, but the complete healing always took more time. The wolf's first priority was to get up and about again, the further healing was mostly a duty for the human side.  
  
The mediwitch glanced at her papers again. "He doesn't seemingly have a family," she observed. "Do you know if there is any place he could stay at during his recovery? He won't be in the condition to survive by himself for a while."  
  
"I think that can be arranged," Lucius said. Inside his mind, the sound of Remus' happy laugh echoing in the halls of the Manor teased him. If he asked, maybe Dumbledore would allow that. It was the last place where anyone would look for him, after all. And if not, then there was always the Black Manor. Even though the Headquarters resided elsewhere, some members of the Order, almost all belonging to Remus' friends and therefore aware of him being alive, spent most of their time there. The werewolf would indeed be in good hands during his recovery.  
  
"Very good," the mediwitch said with a smile. "Would you like to see him as he wakes up?"  
  
Lucius raised an eyebrow. "I thought you just said, 'no visitors,'" he pointed out.  
  
"I did say that," she replied, still smiling. "But you seem to be extraordinarily concerned about him, and obviously took a great effort to bring him here. It would probably be better for Mr. Lupin if he saw a familiar face as soon as he awoke, as the wolf may be restless in the unfamiliar territory, distracting his mind. I spoke with my superior, and he said I could allow you a visit. Not too long, though - only fifteen minutes. And you are not allowed to tire him."  
  
"I want to see him, yes," Lucius said, without hesitating at all.  
  
"Fine. You'd better go and get some food and rest. He won't wake up until in the morning, you don't need to stay the whole night."   
  
Lucius shook his head. "I couldn't sleep anyway," he said dryly. "Nor can I eat anything before I see he's all right."  
  
"You must be really good friends," the mediwitch smiled. "Don't worry, though. He will be fine as long as he gets rest and good care."  
  
Lucius nodded. He seemed to have been doing it a lot recently. 'Remus will get anything he needs,' he thought to himself. 'I'll take care of that.'  
  
'Nice to hear,' the little voice said.  
  
And for the first time ever, it didn't annoy him.  
  
***  
  
A/N: Such a long chapter, eh? You'll have to decide: Either I'll write more long chapters, and it'll be some time between them, or shorter chaps, with a bit shorter time to wait. So, what'd you like better?  
  
Next chapter: Apologies and proposals  
  
We'll see two apologies, two proposals, and two shower scenes, one of each about the Blacks and the others from the Malfoys. Also, ghosts are involved in the events, Olivia is scared but has a friend, and Harry and Draco are happy as ever.  
  
The POLL is still going on... But the options have varied!  
  
1)A Hogwarts faculty member visiting - please specify who  
  
2)One of the Malfoys gets a pet - please specify who  
  
3)Harry and Draco in shower  
  
4)A peek in the Weasleys' life  
  
5)Flashback: The Blacks' wedding 


	11. Proposals and Apologies

Disclaimer: *sigh* Not mine. If they were, OotP would have ended in a *very* different way.  
  
Summary: Two apologies, two proposals, two joined showers. Two couples. Yeah, Remus and Lucius are having fun, as well as Sirius and Severus. Another row begins, stopping soon as Olivia gets frightened. She has a friend, however, a friend who's ready to advise her. And in the end, everything is again all right.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
A/N: *giggles* Oh well... I had in fact hard time writing that summary, 'cause I'm already writing chap 13 and had to at least thrice check what was in this chapter so I wouldn't mix it with chap 12.  
  
Again, thanks to Airiel for betaing this. And thanks to anyone who's read and reviewed!  
  
*  
  
.~*~.Our little one.~*~.  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
Proposals and Apologies  
  
***************************************  
  
This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.  
  
This chapter is partly flashbacks.  
  
***************************************  
  
"Hey, Dad!" Harry's head called from the flames. The tall man turned towards the fireplace.  
  
"Yes, Harry?" he asked his godson and adopted son.  
  
"We can't contact Remus and Lucius," the young Seeker said, frowning. "They're usually together in their sitting room this time of night. Now neither of them is answering!"  
  
"That's not a surprise," Sirius said, choosing his next words carefully. "They... had a fight, and sent Olivia over here. Lucius called us some time ago, telling us that he and Remus are not talking at the moment."  
  
"Oh." Harry paled seemingly. "I suppose it's not the best time for our news, then."  
  
"It depends," Sirius said with a shrug. "What kind of news is it?"  
  
"Well..." Harry flashed him a grin. "I asked Draco a particular question, and he answered, 'Yes.' So we're both quite happy at the moment."  
  
"Congratulations, son!" Sirius laughed. "And you're right," he said face falling. "I think it might be best not to tell them until they've sorted out their own feelings. That might take some time, though we all know that they're both bad at apologizing and good at sulking."  
  
"All too well," Harry said dryly. Then his eyes lit up again. "We're going to have a summer wedding," he told. "The beginning, though, not near autumn like Lucius and Remus' wedding was. I still have a bit of problem, though--should I ask Bill, Charlie, or Percy for my best man?"  
  
"I'd say Charlie," Sirius suggested. "He's not that much older than you, and as I recall, you always got along with him better than with either of the others." Then he looked at Harry curious. "Who's Draco going to have as his best man?" he asked.  
  
"Well, it was hard," Harry said, "with most of the wizards we know being our fathers or stepfathers. But in the end, he decided on Malcolm."  
  
"Malcolm?" Sirius echoed. "Not Malcolm, Severus's nephew? The most antisocial walking disaster that has ever frightened old ladies?"  
  
"Yes, that Malcolm," Harry laughed. "And he's not quite that bad, you know. Hell, he's way better than Severus was before!"  
  
"Watch out," Sirius grinned. "You're talking about your adopted other father there."  
  
"Exactly," Severus said from next to him. "If you don't, be ware, I might just repay you for those numerous 'greasy gits' from your school years." Then, he became curious. "Now, Harry," he said, "tell us, in detail and clearly, all about how you asked him."  
  
~*~  
  
Olivia rolled around in her bed, unable to get to sleep. She couldn't feel quite comfortable in the guest room she'd been given, no matter how much she tried to calm down.  
  
There was a bit of a sad feeling in the room, had been ever since she'd first entered it. She couldn't quite grasp on it, but it was tugging at her in the back of her mind, distracting her thoughts.  
  
She sighed and hugged her new toy animal, a huge white tiger with blue eyes. It was almost four feet long even without the tail. The tail and body combined made it almost six feet long and therefore the biggest of all her stuffed animals by far.  
  
The tiger's name was Albus. Harry had named him when he'd given her the plushie.  
  
***  
  
4th of January, 2004  
  
*  
  
"This is for you," Harry smiled, handing her a big, stuffed tiger. "I found it in a toy shop and thought you'd like it."  
  
"Oh!" Olivia exclaimed, hugging the huge plushie. "He's so cute! Thank you, Harry!" She took a careful look at her new "friend." It was white and black, striped just like any real tiger, and its warm blue eyes seemed to be twinkling at her.  
  
"I thought you'd like him," the young wizard grinned. "His name is Albus, by the way."  
  
"Albus?" Olivia echoed. "I think I've heard that one. Does it mean something?"  
  
"Well, in general, it means white," Harry said with a grin, "which is probably very appropriate, considering his appearance. Specificly, it could also mean Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts."  
  
"A tiger?" Draco asked, glancing at Harry wonderingly. "I would have picked a lion."  
  
"Well, I thought about a lion at first," Harry admitted. "But then I remembered him telling that his Animagus form would be a white tiger, not a lion. So, I picked a tiger." Then he grinned. "Besides, tigers are far bigger and stronger than lions," he said. "And in a lion pack, the hunting is done by the females. Could you image Dumbledore just laying on his place and waiting?"  
  
"Well, if you put it that way..." Draco shook his head. "No. Absolutely not."  
  
***  
  
She smiled slightly. After that she'd heard many stories about Albus Dumbledore from Harry, as well as an extreamly entertaining story about Arberoth Dumbledore and the infamous goat - although Remus had unfortunately come in just as Draco had been getting to the "good part" of the story, as he liked to call it.  
  
It had been a lot of fun, listening to them. Draco really was a good storyteller, and Harry wasn't a bad one either. She still remembered most of the stories, as well as the happy, warm feeling they'd given her.  
  
The warm feeling covered the sad one without her noticing. Soon, she no longer sensed the sadness in the room anymore. With a one last hug of the tiger, she drifted happily into a light slumber.  
  
She didn't wake up as an hour later the door of the room was opened. A person came inside, watching her for a moment.  
  
Sirius then left again, closing the door behind him.  
  
~*~  
  
"How was she?" Severus asked Sirius as he entered their bedroom.  
  
"She was already asleep," Sirius replied, shrugging. "And quite peacefully from what I saw."  
  
"No sudden startles or sounds?" Severus demanded. "No mumbling in sleep? Were her eyes open at any change?"  
  
"No to all questions," Sirius replied with a roll of his eyes. "She was sleeping completely normally. Calm down, Severus. You said yourself her talents are blocked."  
  
"But those angels are powerful channels of visions," Severus muttered. "If not those particular memories, they might make her able to See something else." He started unbuttoning his robe and asked, "Was there any... special _emotion_ in the room? Did you feel particularly sad, or happy, or anything? Could it be possible that there were visions in the air?"  
  
Sirius sighed. "You're the Seer here, not me," he reminded his husband. "Believe me, Severus dear, I wouldn't know a vision even if one stood naked in front of me and waved a sign. Those feelings don't affect me. If you want to know, you have to go there yourself."  
  
"And that you'd like, wouldn't you?" Severus asked dryly. "Trying to sleep when I'd be tossing around in the bed and most probably screaming? Knowing that you couldn't wake me up until the visions had ended and you just had to bear with me?"  
  
"Then don't ask something I'm unable to answer," Sirius replied. He started stripping off his clothes as well.  
  
He was just removing his trousers as Severus finished undressing himself. Sirius stopped, looking up and down his husband's bare body.  
  
Severus was standing his back to Sirius. The pale skin was crossed by several scars. Tortures, fights, explosions in the laboratory--many things had left their marks on the Potions Master. There weren't even half as many scars on his skin as Remus had once had, and a lot less than the werewolf still had from all his transformations. There were still many. Too many, by Sirius's mind. Even one scar was too much, if it was on his beloved husband's skin.  
  
One scar distracted him particularly much. It wasn't the largest one, or the worst injury. In fact, it was one of the smallest, and the oldest one.  
  
What distracted him about it was the way it had been created.  
  
It had come of a wound caused by a Bludger as ten wild Bludgers had been let free to the Slytherin Common Room in their second year. The suspected, although never proved, guilties to this malicious prank had been three Gryffindors. Three, since Remus never took part in anything that might hurt anyone.  
  
They hadn't been truly malicious, or willing to hurt anyone badly enough to cause scars. They hated Slytherins, true, but didn't want them dead. They'd only been young and thoughtless, and couldn't have foreseen the consequences of their prank - seven Slytherins spent three days in the Infirmary. The worst case had been seven broken ribs, a dislocated arm, and concussions.  
  
Needless to say, Remus had been mad at them, despite his usually calm character. The Marauders had kept a pretty low profile for long time after that.  
  
Severus hadn't been the only one who had got scars that night, true. He was in fact one of the least wounded of those Slytherins who'd been unfortunate enough to be in the Common Room as the Marauders had pulled their ill-fated prank. Severus was, however, the only victim Sirius was married to.  
  
That was the only time he had ever really hurt Severus, other than the obvious mental trauma caused to him when Sirius had led him to the Shrieking Shack at the night of the full moon on their sixth year.  
  
Severus seemed to notice his eyes on his back. "What it is?" the Slytherin asked, glancing at him over his shoulder. He quirked one black, elegant eyebrow. "Is something wrong with me?"  
  
"Not with you," Sirius said hoarsely, throwing his trousers aside at last. "Severus... I am sorry. For everything."  
  
"You say that every time you see that scar," Severus sighed, crossing the room to the bathroom door. "I'm certain by now that you are indeed sorry. You don't have to tell it to me on a daily basis."  
  
"I'm still sorry," Sirius said, following close to him.  
  
Severus rolled his eyes towards the ceiling as they entered the bathroom together. "What can I do to make you stop apologizing for it?"  
  
"Forgive me?" Sirius suggested innocently.  
  
Severus gave him a half-surprised glare. "I thought I'd done that already," he said. "I can't possibly have survived eleven years married to you without forgiving you for that, right?"  
  
"No, you never said that," Sirius said. He stayed close to his husband as Severus switched on the shower.  
  
"Well, I forgive you," Severus said, smiling a bit. "I've forgiven you for worse. I can do it again, if that will shut you up."  
  
Sirius smiled. "Thank you." He wrapped his arms around Severus, enjoying the feeling of warm water falling over them both.  
  
Without hesitating a single moment, Severus returned the embrace.  
  
After that, things got only better.  
  
~*~  
  
It was past midnight already. Sirius lay on the bed, awake despite the late hour. He'd pulled the covers halfway up his chest, the rest of his body bare. Severus had laid his head on the Gryffindor's chest, sound asleep.  
  
Sirius sank his left hand into the black tresses, combing them with his fingers. What Severus had said distracted his mind. About apologizing, and forgiving. How he'd forgiven Sirius for much more.  
  
Severus was right, he knew that. He'd already forgiven Sirius for so much... So much more than he deserved to be forgiven for.  
  
***  
  
4th of April, 1976  
  
*  
  
"Severus..."  
  
"Don't talk to me," came the brief, snappish reply. "I don't want to talk with you. What you did was unforgivable!"  
  
"I can't see what was so horrible about it," Sirius muttered sulkily. "No one got hurt, right? So what's wrong with you all? Remus and Peter ignore me, James yells at me, and now you're behaving crazily as well! Okay, so I maybe frightened you lot, but--"  
  
"What _happened_ isn't half as important as what _could have_ happened," Severus snarled, interrupting him. His back remained turned to Sirius. "You could have got me, or Potter, or us both killed! And then Lupin would have been thrown to Azkaban or executed, and you'd have two friends and a boyfriend less!"  
  
Sirius paled a bit. Despite all James's furious rants, he hadn't realized the potential dangers until now. "Oh," he said quietly. Then, gaining back some of his usual self, he continued, "But--surely they wouldn't have punished Remus! It wasn't him, not really!"  
  
"So you think Ministry officials would let that stop them getting rid of yet another 'beast,' like they call your friend and his kind?" Severus asked bitterly.  
  
Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. He knew that Severus was right.  
  
"At least you have the decency to feel ashamed," the Slytherin snapped. "Why did you do it, anyway? Trying to kill me after all, eh?"  
  
Sirius shook his head slowly. "No, I'm not," he said quietly. "I just--oh, for the love of Godric, Severus, I don't know! I just didn't think, that's all! I guess I wanted to tell you about Remus, but didn't know how."  
  
"_Normal_ people would have just said it," his boyfriend said condescendingly. "As in words. Speaking, sounds familiar, Sirius? The voices you do with your mouth? Blah-blah-blah and the like?"  
  
"Okay, okay, _enough_ of it already! I take it! I apologize! I was stupid, alright. I almost got you hurt, right. But nothing happened after all, so why the _fuck_ you can't forgive me already? Any of you?"  
  
"Have you apologized?" Severus suggested offhandedly. "I know that you've just said that for the first time _to me_. Have you even tried to tell them you're sorry? To Pettigrew? Potter? _Lupin_?"  
  
"No, I haven't," Sirius said, blushing in shame. He was only beginning to understand just how childish brat he'd been. "I--I suppose I should try that... right?"  
  
"Right," Severus said. Then he took a couple of steps closer to Sirius and said, "To them, you could use the words this time. But to _me_... I believe that you might be better to just _show_ me just how sorry you are..."  
  
Sirius grinned, then made a mock-bow. "I might manage that," he smirked, then proceeded to prove the true level of his regret to the other boy.  
  
***  
  
Sirius wasn't the only one dwelling in memories. Severus was having a dream from the past; his memory, however, was of a much more pleasant moment in their shared life.  
  
***  
  
12th of May, 1978  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
This part of the chapter is from Severus's POV.  
  
*  
  
Again, a new day behind me. Potions, sneering and snapping at Gryffindors, being so nasty that a couple of fellow female students leave my presence in tears. All usual, and very Slytherin of me.  
  
And then, a long, passionate shag with Sirius Black, the very epitome of everything Gryffindor. Oh, what a _bad_ little Slytherin I am.  
  
Now I lie next to him, mere sheets covering our sweaty bodies. Our limbs are tangled together, his head resting on my chest. Me absent-mindedly combing his hair with my fingers.  
  
"We graduate in mere weeks," he says quietly. I don't reply, just nod, even though I know he can't see it.  
  
"I've been thinking." He lifts his head, then sitts up next to me. I remain lying, wondering what he has in mind.  
  
"Thinking about what?" I ask, fixing my eyes on him. His features are sharp in the light of the half moon glowing from the window.  
  
"Well..." Sirius sounds hesitant. "I know we haven't been able to even be in public together for quite a while, but..."  
  
"Yes, Sirius?" I demand. I really don't see what he's going after. "Spit it out, Siri. I'm waiting."  
  
He opens his mouth like in an attempt to say something, then closes it again and shakes his head. "Merlin, Severus, I'm so not good at this," he sighs. "But, once Voldemort is defeated and we'll be free, both of us... Then... Severus, will you marry me?"  
  
For a moment I just stare at him. Sirius didn't just ask that, did he? He surely didn't ask me to marry him in some indefinite future.  
  
Well, seems like he did, since he's watching me, waiting for an answer.  
  
What the hell I should say to him? What does he expect me to answer? Well, positively of course, he wouldn't have asked otherwise, now would he? He wants me to say, "Yes."  
  
The question is, what do I want to say?  
  
I think I know it. Yet it seems so difficult to say, to bring my thoughts into words and voice. It's just so difficult, so damned bloody difficult to force one little word out of my mouth.  
  
Sirius starts looking desperate. His eyes are full of actual fear, fear for me. He's afraid of being rejected. He's afraid that I'm going to refuse, and at every moment that passes with my remaining quiet, that fear and distress only grows.  
  
I have to say it. If not for anything else, to calm Sirius down.  
  
Yes, that is it. That's why I'm going to say it. To make Sirius calm down, and that is all. Otherwise, I wouldn't say anything.  
  
Oh, who cares anyway. To other people I can always lie, but not to myself. Therefore, I know exactly what I _want_ to answer.  
  
"Yes, Sirius," I say, and it suddenly isn't at all that difficult anymore. "Yes, I will marry you."  
  
***  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
It was an early morning as the Blacks woke up. They got dressed without hurrying, then made their way to the dining room to eat their breakfast. Once getting there, they noticed that they weren't the only ones who were hungry.  
  
"I had an odd dream," Olivia said after they'd greeted each other.  
  
"What was it about?" Severus asked curiously. Sirius suppressed a chuckle. Severus could play indifferent about his dreams, but whenever there was even the slightest change of true Seeing being involved, the tall Slytherin was always the first one to try and get to know everything about it.  
  
"Well, there was Harry and Draco in my dream," Olivia started explaining. "Harry was looking at Draco, and Draco asked why he was looking at him. And Harry said that he had something to ask him."  
  
Sirius blinked. He felt suddenly rather tensed. This sounded too familiar to be comfortable. His husband, however, just nodded at the girl, urging her to continue.  
  
"So, Harry asked," Olivia continued indifferently. "He knelt down, talking something about traditions and being common in the family, then proposed to Draco. And Draco accepted. Then, Harry gave him the ring."  
  
"What kind of ring?" Severus asked, still just as calm as usually.  
  
"Well, it was silver," Olivia replied with a shrug. "Some kind of dragon, I believe. It had an emerald as its eye."  
  
Severus gave Sirius his best 'told-you-so' look, then smiled at Olivia. "Are you sure you really need the Brew of Dreams?" he asked, a bit amused. "Because that was just how Harry described the way of the events when he called us last night."  
  
Olivia's eyes widened. "It - it was true?" she asked weakly. As Severus nodded in verification, she whispered, "Woah." Then, after a moment, she said, "But... why? I haven't had any dreams for at least two years! Why are they coming now?"  
  
"Because of the crystal angels," Severus said, his smile changing to a bit strained. "They channel memories to me. As those memories aren't yours, and your talents are still partly blocked, you couldn't see the memories attached to the angels. You could, however, see something else--something closer to you and the things around you."  
  
Olivia nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful. "I had on pyjamas I got from Draco," she said. "And I also had the stuffed tiger Harry gave me two weeks ago. Could those help me see visions of them?"  
  
"Probably," Severus admitted with a nod. Then he grinned a bit. "Now, as Sirius is still feeling too neglected to protest," he said, "what about going to the lab and trying to figure out your problem with that potion?"  
  
Olivia's eyes lit up, and Sirius groaned. Severus merely chuckled at his husband's reaction, then beckoned Olivia and started walking towards the laboratory.  
  
~*~  
  
"Hello, Sirius," Remus's head said from the flames. He looked unhappy, but not a bit sulky. "You said you wanted to talk."  
  
"Yeah," the other man replied. "About Olivia, to be exact."  
  
"Oh?" Remus said, frowning. "Is something wrong? Are you having problems with her?"  
  
"No, nothing like that. She's a wonderful kid, really," Sirius said. "We've been happy to have her here. But we have to go to work again, Remus. She has to return, and you two better behave."  
  
"Don't you try and advise me," Remus snapped. Then he sighed. "You are right," he said quietly. "But I can't just forget and forgive. Not after what he said."  
  
"Then you'd better to do something else," Sirius said mercilessly. "She can't come back to you two still fighting. You have to sort out your differences sometime soon."  
  
"I know, and I'll try to," the werewolf replied, sighing again. "But I can't promise anything. Definitely not before she comes back, that's for sure."  
  
"But soon," the Animagus pressured. "Otherwise, you'll drive her back to what she was in the beginning." With that, he cut off the contact.  
  
~*~  
  
Lucius Malfoy stepped into the sitting room he'd once shared with his husband. Remus hadn't been here for eleven days.  
  
It was exactly a week since Olivia had returned from the Blacks. The four nights she'd spent there hadn't brought a difference to the situation in the Manor, nor had the following week. Remus and Lucius still werent talking to each other. Olivia had in the beginning tried to talk to them both, but nowadays she stayed mostly in her laboratory, walking on eggshells all the time.  
  
It hurt Lucius to see the girl returning to the shell she'd grown around herself and out of which they'd partly managed to pull her. He couldn't help the case, however. He and Remus were both too hurt to forgive each other, and both were too proud to apologize to the other for what they'd said.  
  
Suddenly, Lucius sensed that there was someone other in the room. He tensed, then slowly turned around eyes meeting a pair of cool amber orbs.  
  
"We have to talk," Remus said coolly, his arms folded over his chest.  
  
"Oh?" Lucius said, raising his eyebrow. "And about what? Last time you said that, you started yelling at me."  
  
"So you're suggesting that I yelled at you?" Remus asked, his tone still just as cool as before.  
  
"You damn well did," Lucius said, taking a step towards his husband.  
  
"Well, maybe I had a reason for that!" Remus shouted at him, his previous coolness quickly being replaced by a simple rage. "I just hope you might be able to see it!"  
  
They were both getting furious now - several days of longing, bitterness and frustration had to be taken out. It was the way they always were. At first one explosion, then quiet sulking, then another loud fight, and sometimes even third and fourth, all separated with periods of sulking.  
  
"And maybe I don't even want to see your reasons!" Lucius yelled, his expression furious. He stepped a little bit closer, his tall form leaning over his smaller husband.  
  
Remus just opened his mouth to reply with the same to his husband when he heard a little surprised sound behind them. They both turned around to see Olivia. She was standing in the doorway, looking totally scared.  
  
"Olivia, what..." he managed to say before the girl yelped and ran away like a frightened rabbit.  
  
Remus turned towards Lucius, even more furious than before. "Look what you've done!" he roared. "Congratulations, Lucius Malfoy! You just scared her near the death!"  
  
"So now it's _my_ fault, eh?" Lucius shouted. "I don't recall being the one whose words she ran away from!"  
  
"Yeah?! Because she ran away from your _screams_!"  
  
"That's what you think, you stupid freak," Lucius replied nastily. "Where did the good and responsible Gryffindor go to? Denying your faults, eh?"  
  
"At least my faults are about what I _am_, not about what I've _done_," Remus snarled.  
  
"You both do realize that that's the worst thing to do, right?" asked a dry voice. "Continuing to fight, I mean."  
  
They both turned towards the sound, surprised. The ghost of Jacques Malfoy, Lucius's great-great-grandfather, watched them with a half amused, half disapproving expression on his transparent face.  
  
"So we're doing the worst thing?" Remus snapped. "Then, pray tell, what we should do?"  
  
"How about stopping that pointless fight, then going to assure her that neither one of you are going to get hurt?"  
  
"Is that what she thought?" Remus asked, suddenly horrified.  
  
"Really," old Malfoy snorted, "where did you find him, Lucius? Like it isn't enough that you marry a man and a werewolf, but does he have to be stupid on top of it all?"  
  
"Remus isn't stupid," Lucius said as a response.  
  
"You think so?" The ghost raised his eyebrows. "Then how is it that I recall you yourself saying that just a couple of seconds ago?"  
  
"I'm his husband," Lucius replied calmly. "I'm the only one allowed to insult him."  
  
"So you're allowed to say things that aren't true?" the former Master of the Manor asked sharply.  
  
"Right," Lucius said, too distracted by all the mixed feelings to see the trap he was stepping into. "Especially things that aren't true."  
  
"I think you could use that as a start for an apology," the ghost said with a dry laugh, the slid away through the wall.  
  
"Well?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"I think I deserve some kind of apology as well," Lucius pointed out sharply. He did ache for Remus, wanted to get the werewolf back to his arms, but his Malfoy pride wouldn't give up that easily. "It isn't like I was the one who yelled and you just stood back. In fact, I recall being the only one who's attempted an apology already!"  
  
"So now it's all my fault, eh?" Remus asked sharply. "It was because of you this fight started! If anything, it's your fault!"  
  
"No. It's both of our fault, for not apologizing." Then, with a bit gentler tone, Lucius suggested the most his pride would approve of, "What about calling it even?"  
  
Remus looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, slowly, he nodded. "I think that would be just fine."  
  
Lucius took another couple of steps, then wrapped his arms around Remus. The werewolf hugged him back, sighed, and rested his head against Lucius's chest.  
  
"I'm sorry, Lucius," Remus mumbled. "I missed you."  
  
"I'm sorry as well," the blonde man replied, forcing his pride down for a change. "I missed you, too."  
  
"Right." Remus smiled up at him. Then his expression again turned serious. "I guess you'd better go and talk with Olivia," he said.  
  
"Yes," Lucius said, nodding slowly. "I think you may be right."  
  
~*~  
  
Lucius knocked on the door of Olivia's room. As there was no reply, he knocked again. Then again.  
  
"Olivia? Olivia, it's me, Lucius."  
  
"Don't come in here!" came a terrified reply. "I don't want to talk to you!"  
  
Lucius sighed inwardly, then pressed his seal ring against the door. Placing his other hand on the door handle, he pressed it. The door opened.  
  
Lucius stepped inside. He saw Olivia, who was sitting on her bed. As soon as she saw him, however, she slipped off the bed and backed away to the further end of the room, looking at him with her eyes wide with fear.  
  
"Olivia?" he asked again, walking a bit nearer. "I want to talk with you."  
  
"I know what you want," she said bitterly, although fear was also clearly audible in her voice. "Tell me, did you already beat Remus? Is that what took you so long to come after me?"  
  
"I did nothing to him," Lucius said, frowning. "All I did was to apologize to him."  
  
Olivia didn't say anything, just snorted in disbelief.  
  
"Merlin, Olivia," he sighed, walking again nearer to the girl. "Believe me, I'd never hurt you on purpose. Nor I would hurt Remus. I'd never hurt anyone I love. I'm not like that sorry excuse of a man who called himself your father for fourteen years."  
  
"I don't believe you." She tried to get even further away from him, but her back was already pressed against the cold stone wall. "You lie. Everyone lies." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "He said he wouldn't hit me anymore. And he lied. He always did."  
  
"Olivia..." he started, but sighed then and turned around to leave. "Fine. I'll leave now. Remus will come later to talk to you."  
  
"Oh, yes - after you've had time to hide what you did to him," she spat out.  
  
He froze. Then he turned around very slowly. "_Excuse me?_" he asked, horrified.  
  
"I said nothing!" she yelped, trying to make herself smaller. "I said nothing, I swear! Please... Please don't hit me..." She was sobbing now.  
  
Lucius felt his heart freeze in his chest. "I won't hit you, Olivia," he said for the last time. "I'd never hit you." Then he turned around again, and stormed out of the room.  
  
~*~  
  
Remus raised his eyes at Lucius as the blonde man came inside. He gasped as he saw the hurt expression on his husband's face.  
  
"Lucius? Lucius, what did she say?"  
  
"Olivia was terrified," Lucius replied blankly. "She wouldn't believe me. She only kept telling that I lied and that I was going to hit her. And--and she--"  
  
"What?" Remus asked, gently blowing a lock of blonde hair from his husband's face. "I know it's horrible, Lucius. She's been through so much. Of course you're shocked by what she said."  
  
"She thought that you weren't there because I wanted to hide the marks of my abuse to you first," he explained with completely expressionless tone.  
  
Remus took a quick breath. "Horrible," he whispered, and meant it. Nothing could possibly hurt his husband more than being accused of harming someone and hiding it. He kept sure not to hide anything of his dark, violent past. It was a matter of honour to him, and Olivia's suspicions had obviously hurt him a great deal.  
  
"You bet." Lucius shook his head. "If her Muggle father now appeared in front of me, I'd kill him without hesitating a moment."  
  
Remus nodded. Nobody who had caused that kind of a fear to a child would deserve anything less. "I'll go and talk to her," he said. "Maybe I can make her believe that you'd never beat either of us."  
  
"Maybe," Lucius said blankly.  
  
His eyes remained locked at his hands.  
  
~*~  
  
"Olivia?"  
  
The sobbing girl didn't response. Her head stayed pressed against her knees, tears flowing down the hidden face.  
  
"Olivia? Look at me."  
  
Slowly, she raised her eyes. "Laura?" she asked hoarsely, looking at her best friend.  
  
Laura's past wasn't one of the most pleasant ones among the ghosts of the Manor. She had been a servant maid three hundred years ago. In the age of sixteen, she had noticed she was pregnant by her master. The same night, she'd flung herself out of a window on the fifth floor.  
  
Despite the centuries between them, they were two teenage girls without company. Soon after Olivia'd met her for the first time, they became the best of friends.  
  
And best friends comfort each other.  
  
"It's okay, Olivia," the ghost said softly. "What's wrong? What upset you?"  
  
"They--they were fighting," Olivia sobbed. "And--and I think that Lucius was going to hit Remus!"  
  
Laura frowned. "I don't think so," she said. "I've never seen Master Lucius hitting Master Remus. Nor have I heard anything like that happening. What makes you think so? Did you see anything?"  
  
"N--no," Olivia said, trying to wipe her tears away from her cheeks. "But--but that's what always happens, right? When parents fight? That one of them ends up hurt. Isn't that the way it always goes?"  
  
"Of course not!" Laura exclaimed. "Why would you think that?"  
  
"That's--that's what always happened when I was young," the living girl said softly. "When my parents fought. Dad would always yell at Mum, and then he'd beat her, and if he could catch me he'd beat me too."  
  
Laura gasped. "That's wrong," she said immediately. Then, with a bit softer tone, she continued, "Believe me, Olivia, he'd do nothing like that. I've seen many Masters in this house and family. Some were better, some were worse. Some did beat their families, true, but Master Lucius isn't one of them. Master Lucius is one of the better Masters. One of the best, even."  
  
Olivia snorted suspiciously, still wiping away tears.  
  
"He would never beat Master Remus," Laura continued. "He never beat Mistress Narcissa, either. Nor would Master Remus beat him." She smiled reassuringly at her friend, then asked, "Didn't they tell you that?"  
  
"Well, Lucius did," Olivia said softly. "But I didn't believe him. He sounded so much like my Dad sounded when he later came to apologize to me for beating, and said that he would never do it again." The tears started flowing again as she said, "He always beat me again."  
  
"But Master Lucius didn't, right?" Laura continued her questioning.  
  
"No," Olivia admitted weakly. "But he did that only to make me believe that he wouldn't. Just like my father did."  
  
"What if he did it because he really wouldn't ever hurt you?" Laura suggested, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"But that's what fathers do!" Olivia exclaimed, tears flowing down her cheeks. "My father always told me that it was his duty to beat those things away from me. And in the orphanage, everyone's father either was dead or had beaten them."  
  
"That's the reason why they were in the orphanage," Laura told her gently. "My father, for example, never hit me. Never. He once said he'd rather cut his hand off than beat me for no reason like some other people did to their children."  
  
Olivia's eyes widened. "Woah," she whispered. "You were really lucky."  
  
"You're just as lucky by now," Laura assured her. "Believe me, Olivia, Master Lucius didn't lie to you. They really do care about you. You trusted them before and never thought they'd hit you. Why change your mind now?"  
  
"Because they're fighting," Olivia replied quietly. "I thought they were different. I thought they wouldn't fight. But they do, so they'll beat me."  
  
"No. All people fight, Olivia. You have to live with it. Not everyone can please everyone else always. Sometimes you have to fight to sort things out, and when you make up for the fight, everything is all right again. The difference between the Masters and your father is that they fight the right way, with words, your father used violence. I'm not saying that words couldn't also hurt, but if they're the only used method, there's a possibility that the fight is right and has to be. When beating comes to the picture, however, the fight is always wrong. Masters don't fight that way, Olivia. Believe me, neither of them will hit you."  
  
Olivia snorted. "You sound like some psychology book," she pointed out. "Or perhaps a philosophy."  
  
"Well, there was a philosopher in the family about a hundred years ago," Laura said, and smiled. "No one would listen to him, so I did. He taught me a lot of things."  
  
Olivia dried her eyes. "So tell me, Miss Know-It-All," she said with a tiny, lopsided smile, "what should I do now?"  
  
"What about listening to Master Remus when he comes?" Laura suggested innocently. "Oh, don't give me that surprised face. I know you're not that thick. He will come eventually, and when he does, listen to him--and believe him."  
  
"I'll try that," Olivia said hesitantly.  
  
"Please do," Laura said, and smiled warmly. There was a small, pale twinkle in her eyes. "You know," she said, "at this point I should hug you comfortingly. But, as I am unable to do that, I think that words will have to do. So, hug you, Olivia."  
  
"Words are fine with me," Olivia smiled. "Hug you, too, Laura."  
  
For the first time for quite some time, there were no tears in her eyes.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
This part of the chapter is from Remus's POV.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
I don't really know what to say to Olivia.  
  
I decide to walk to her room instead of using the mirrors. I need the time to think about everything. Lucius, Olivia and I... This is all so confusing sometimes.  
  
I have forgiven Lucius already, as well as I know that he has forgiven me. We do fight, yes, and when we do it's loud, but when we make up, it happens fast. Sulking alone is something both of us are good at, but when the first steps of an apology are taken from either side, we can't keep the walls up for long.  
  
I know that Lucius didn't mean to upset me when he gave Olivia that book and told her what to do with it. I would know if he'd meant that--I almost always know his motives for everything.  
  
In fact, the last time I recall being uncertain about his motives, was...  
  
It was when he proposed to me.  
  
***  
  
26th of May, 1998  
  
*  
  
I feel all the gazes on us as we make our way towards the Head Table. I force myself to stay calm. The full moon is just around the corner, and all the attention centred on me, it makes me feel extremely nervous - or, rather, it makes the wolf nervous, and it's almost the same.  
  
Lucius seems to sense my distraction. He squeezes my arm and as I turn to look at him, he smiles at me reassuringly. I smile back, feeling a bit better. Lucius is always sure that everything goes right, I know it.  
  
Sirius and Severus sit down, pointing to us the two free seats next to them. Lucius and I take the seats, well aware of most of the staff staring at us along with a majority of the students.  
  
"Ah, Remus," Dumbledore smiles. "Nice to see you're up and about again."  
  
"Thank you, Headmaster," I say with a bit distant tone. Inside my mind, I'm struggling against the wolf, who's beginning to try and get to the surface. All the unnerving extra attention distracts me, working on its benefit.  
  
"And Lucius," Dumbledore continues. "I heard that you completed your plans."  
  
Lucius gives him an odd glance, then nods and says, "Yes, I did get them to motion--at least part of them."  
  
I rub my temples lightly with my fingertips. The growing pull of the moon as well as the roaring wolf are giving me a terrible headache. I sigh deep. A little bit more, and I'll begin growling at someone. Oh, how great.  
  
Lucius notices my distraction and gives me a concerned glance. "Remus?" he asks gently, squeezing lightly my arm. "Are you all right?"  
  
"Yes, nothing to worry about," I reply with a weak smile. "It's just the full moon; it's already pulling me."  
  
"Which reminds me..." Severus hands me a golden goblet. It's full of thick, foul-smelling--and foul-tasting, I know from experience--liquid. My dose of Wolfsbane Potion for today. "It'd be better if you drank it before you eat."  
  
"I know," I sigh, taking the goblet to my hands. "Thank you." I drink it all on one go. If I stopped, I don't think I could push myself to drinking the rest of it later.  
  
I put the goblet aside and take gratefully the glass of water Sirius is already offering me. It washes the remains of the potion from my mouth. Unfortunately, it can't destroy the appalling smell that still fills my sensitive nostrils. I can't help but make a face, making Sirius grin.  
  
"Doesn't taste good, I guess," Lucius says dryly as we begin filling our plates with food.  
  
"Anything else," I say, shuddering at the memory of the Wolfsbane Potion. "Of all the disgusting things I've had the misfortune to taste, Wolfsbane Potion is definitely one of the worst."  
  
"But it helps."  
  
"Of course it does," I reply. "I don't think I can ever thank Severus enough for inventing it." I glance at the Blacks, but they're already deep in a conversation with Filius.  
  
"He has to give me the recipe someday," Lucius says calmly. "You can't be depending on him. If something happened, or either one of you was away, then what would you do?"  
  
I shrug. Then, practically forcing my voice to keep light, I suggest, "Lock myself in a closet and hope that nobody needs their clothes before dawn?"  
  
Lucius gives me a slight glare, then sighs. "Don't joke like that, okay?" he asks. "It's disturbing enough as it is." He covers my hand momentarily with his own, saying softly, "I just don't want anything to happen to you."  
  
I can't help but smile. "I know it," I reply. At the same time, I feel the pressure of both the wolf and the moon easing in my mind as the potion begins to work. I sigh in relief. "Now, that's better," I mumble to myself. Lucius doesn't say anything, but I see him smile.  
  
As we've eaten for some time, I turn to Lucius and ask, "What plans did Albus mean?"  
  
"Well..." He pushes his plate a bit forward, then moves his chair back a little. "This morning, I received two owls," he then says with a casual tone. "They told me that I've got two victories over the Ministry bureaucracy."  
  
"Really?" I raise my eyebrows. "And what are they?"  
  
"Well..." He smiles warmly. "The first says I got a divorce from Narcissa."  
  
"So she can marry this Thomas now?" I ask, trying to hide the tiniest bit envy tone in my voice. I can't prevent the little, nasty sting in my heart, though. Narcissa gets to marry the man she loves. That's a joy that can never be given to me, thanks to the Ministry's racistic laws.  
  
"Yes." He doesn't say anything else, just keeps glancing at me in a way that tells me there is something else as well.  
  
I calmly take another bite of my beef, chew, and swallow it before asking, "And what's the other victory?"  
  
"Well..." He pushes his chair even further away from the table, then turns to face me. "With the work of a couple of years, many bribed officials, many others threatened, and far too many documents to be healthy to anyone, I got myself free of the Ministry prohibition against humans marrying werewolves."  
  
I blink, and then just stare at him. He can't mean it. It can't be possible. All these years, I've been thinking that we'll never be able to marry.  
  
And now he just said that we are.  
  
He slides down from his chair, kneeling gracefully in front of me. I feel the nearby professors' eyes on us as he takes my left hand in his own and puts something into my ring finger. I look down and see the most beautiful golden ring with ambers and diamonds.  
  
"Remus Jonathan Lupin," he says, his eyes fixed on me, "will you make me the happiest man on the Earth and marry me?"  
  
Gods. Now everyone in the Head Table is for sure staring at us. It's only a matter of time until the students notice something.  
  
And Lucius is on his knees in front of me. He's looking at me. He's proposing to me.  
  
What on Earth should I say?  
  
What if he doesn't mean it at all? If he's doing this only to repay me for saving his life? What if he'd much prefer not doing this?  
  
Hey, calm down, Remus. He said he's been doing the paperwork for long time, right? And you know that it's impossible to win the Ministry officials in a short time. He has been planning this, and wanting this, for Merlin knows how long.  
  
"Yes," I hear myself saying, before the thought has even left my brains. "Yes, I'd be glad to marry you, Lucius." My voice is hoarse with held-back tears, but I don't care. All I can think about is Lucius, who smiles up at me, then gets up on his feet.  
  
He makes a little sign to Severus and Sirius. And, as the voice of Sirius begins echoing in the Hall, he leans forward and kisses me.  
  
I want this one moment to last forever. As long as I am here, in Lucius's arms, safe and loved, I don't need anything else.  
  
***  
  
"Olivia?"  
  
There's no reply. She just sits on the bed, not raising her gaze.  
  
"Olivia?" I ask again, walking over to the bed. "Olivia, look at me."  
  
Hesitantly, she raises her gaze. "Remus," she says quietly, then drops her gaze again.  
  
"Lucius said he'd talked with you," I say, settling on the edge of the bed next to her. "He also said that you didn't believe him."  
  
She doesn't say anything. Instead of that, her head turns even further away from me.  
  
"Olivia, listen to me," I command, lifting her chin up with my hand and forcing her to meet my gaze. "Lucius has never hurt me. He has never raised a hand to hit me, not even threatened to do so. Even when I've insulted him, said the most horrible things, even when I've deliberately used the words I know to be the most painful, he has never touched me in anything other than a gentle and loving way."  
  
She looks disbelieving. Oh, if I could get my hands at those people, I'd kill them for sure!  
  
The moon is coming again, I see. But it isn't all about that. Not really.  
  
"I'm telling the truth," I say quietly. "You'll never have to be afraid of being hurt by either Lucius or myself. We'll never deliberately hurt you, or each other. Believe me."  
  
She jerks her head away from my hand. Then she gets hastily up, walking to the nearest window. I sand also, following her.  
  
"I'm well aware of what that bastard who called himself your father did," I say. Looks like Sirius is right when he says that upcoming full moon affects my language. "But I also know that none of our family or friends are similar to him. There's something your father didn't understand, Olivia--that family is not created by bonds or blood, but by love."  
  
I take a more careful look at her. Her eyes are firmly fixed to the outside, her lips a thin line.  
  
But there are tears rolling down her cheeks.  
  
"Olivia?" I ask hesitantly, not wanting to scare her more than she's already been.  
  
"I hate him," she whispers, venom dripping from her voice. "I hate him, because he was a bastard and deserves to be hated." Then she turns towards me and says, "But I know that you're not like him. You're different--better different." She's again quiet for a moment, then continues, "And I know that you won't hurt me. I believe it."  
  
"Thank you, Olivia," I say softly, knowing better than to reach out to touch her at the moment. I feel more relieved than I have for a long time. "Thank you for believing me."  
  
"Any time, Remus," she replies with a little, weak smile. Then, surprising me more than I'd even imagined being possible, she suddenly takes a step forward and hugs me.  
  
"I love you, Dad," she whispers to my ear, tears still audible in her voice, and I've never heard more beautiful words.  
  
"I love you, too, daughter," I reply her, and a warm feeling flows through my whole body at that word. "I love you, Olivia."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
This part of the chapter isn't from any particular first-person POV.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Olivia watched as Remus left the room. The werewolf looked happy; happy and carefree. It had been a while since she'd last seen either of her adopted fathers that way.  
  
"Well?" asked a voice from the thin air. As she watched, a cloud of silvery dust rose from the ground, forming into her friend.  
  
"Thank you, Laura," Olivia said, and smiled warmly at her best friend. "I would hug you now if I could."  
  
Laura happily returned her smile. "You're welcome, Olivia," she said. "Maybe next time you'll remember which one of us has more experience behind her."  
  
"Yeah," Olivia chuckled, "and that is me."  
  
"Me," Laura argued.  
  
"No, me."  
  
"You know, at this point I should hit you with a pillow or something," Laura said casually.  
  
"Yes, and then I should throw another pillow at you, and then we should both laugh," Olivia said with just the similar everyday tone.  
  
"Seeing that I can neither hit you with a pillow nor can you hit me with one, how about going right to the point where we laugh?"  
  
Olivia grinned. "Suits me, Miss Will-Never-Need-A-Bra."  
  
Then they both broke into laughter.  
  
~*~  
  
Lucius was waiting for Remus in the sitting room. As he saw the happy smile on his husband's face, he stood and approached him, the question clearly seen in his silvery eyes.  
  
"She believed me," Remus said happily, making Lucius more relieved than he'd been for a long time. "She believed that we won't hurt her, ever."  
  
"That's good," the Slytherin sighed, wrapping his arms around the smaller man's shoulders. "I'd hate it if she thought that we might beat her like her bastard father."  
  
"Well, she doesn't think so anymore," Remus replied. "I think that at least part of it was subconscious. She's been beaten for so many years; the thought of a family where no one gets hurt by the other must seem unbelievable to her." The werewolf's eyes flashed momentarily golden, and an angry growl directed to Olivia's former family escaped his throat.  
  
"Is there by any chance a growing moon at the moment?" Lucius teased him gently.  
  
Remus gave him a sheepish grin. "It's still seven days to the next full moon," he told. "But today has been full of so many different emotions; it's pushing the wolf nearer to the surface."  
  
"I understand," Lucius said, and smiled. "What about moving to the bedroom? It's late, in case you didn't notice."  
  
"Sounds good," Remus said with a slight grin. "But I think we need a shower at first."  
  
"That wouldn't be impossible," the blonde man chuckled as he let go of Remus for a moment so he could make the nearby mirror lead to their rooms. Then they stepped inside, holding hands.  
  
They undressed without hurrying. Then, after folding their clothes neatly, they walked together to their large, luxurious bathroom.  
  
"May I wash your hair?" Remus asked, smiling slightly at his husband.  
  
Lucius grinned a bit and nodded. "Only if I may return the favour," he said slyly.  
  
"You're welcome, but I think I'll do it first." He grasped Lucius's shoulders and led him to the shower. The blonde walked obediently where he wanted him to go. Remus switched on the shower, letting the warm water pour on top of Lucius's blonde head.  
  
Once he decided that the hair was wet enough, Remus poured some shampoo from the bottle. He coated his fingers with it, then carefully rubbed it into his husband's long tresses. He slowly ran his fingers through the blonde hair, untangling the few knots that he could find there. Then, the werewolf lightly massaged Lucius's scalp with his fingertips. As Lucius leaned his head back a bit to allow him a better access to his hair in whole, Remus couldn't resist the urge. He rose on his toes and bent his head forward, placing his lips on Lucius's neck, gently biting the smooth, flawless skin.  
  
Lucius gasped slightly at the sensation of Remus's teeth barely biting his wet skin. He then turned his head around and bent it downwards, capturing Remus's lips in a kiss. Remus was still by far shorter of the two, being only 5'7" against Lucius's 6'1", and it was downright impossible to the two to kiss without at least one of them reaching for the other.  
  
At last they broke the kiss. Remus proceeded in rinsing shampoo away from Lucius's hair. Once done with that, he turned his back to his husband, waiting for him to wash his hair.  
  
Lucius, of course, did. Remus felt his long, fine fingers running through his hair, spreading the shampoo all over the gold-silver tresses. Every now and then he also felt Lucius's lips on the top of his head as the taller man lightly kissed his hair before continuing his work.  
  
At last, Lucius rinsed the shampoo away. As he was still doing this, Remus felt something accidentally poking at his lower back. Something hard and wet with water.  
  
The werewolf smiled. This could prove to be a very satisfying evening indeed.  
  
~*~  
  
Olivia smiled slightly as she took the silver snake-shaped pendant into her hand. She and Laura chuckled simultaneously as they saw the positions of the tiny jewels.  
  
The emerald was approaching the head of the snake at a fairly good pace.  
  
*  
  
A/N: Next Chapter: To Sing a Song (Don't worry, the name indeed makes sense once you read the chap)  
  
We see some of the planning for the Blacks' wedding. Severus's both sisters are visiting the story, and Narcissa gets later even more part in the story as the Malfoys visit the Narcair Mansion. Olivia sings children to sleep, Remus is upset, and Severus makes a really interesting discovery. Oh, and of course Harry and Draco are in shower together. ^__^  
  
The options in the POLL are pretty much all now included to this or the future chaps... I'll bring more options later if need to be, but right now, there's only one question:  
  
Would you like to find out more about Olivia's biological parents? We'll definitely know something about them in the future, but I'm yet to decide exactly how much. I.E., should her father make an appearance?  
  
And of course suggestions are always welcome! ^__^  
  
And, if you want to know exactly when I update, you can sign to the OLO group. The address is in my profile. 


	12. To Sign a Song

Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't sue.  
  
.~*~.Our little one.~*~.  
  
Chapter Twelve  
  
To Sing a Song  
  
***************************************  
  
This chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.  
  
This chapter is partly flashbacks.  
  
***************************************  
  
Remus smiled as he read Harry's owl. It was all about his and Draco's engagement and their wedding plans. And the young men had only announced their engagement to them the day before, right after hearing they'd made up! It reminded him very much of how Sirius had been when he and Severus had got back together after all those years.  
  
It had really been a lot of work, to organize a wedding in the middle of a war. They'd managed, though. Although the wedding had been in the spring, most of the planning had been done during the winter holidays of that year. They all had been in the Black Manor - Sirius, Severus, Remus, Harry, and Severus's other sister Lilian in public, and Narcissa, Draco, and even Lucius in secret.  
  
***  
  
27 of December, 1995  
  
*  
  
"Oi! Good news, everyone!" Draco exclaimed as he ran inside. Everyone in the room turned their eyes at him. Remus, also, raised his gaze from the parchment in front of him.  
  
"What it is, dear?" Narcissa asked, eyeing her son curiously.  
  
"Dad said he'll be able to come!" Draco shouted happily, walking over to Harry and sitting next to the Gryffindor.  
  
"Really?" Severus's eyes lit up, and he gave them a genuine smile. "I thought he'd be forced to stay away."  
  
"Dark Lord seems to have decided that he was forced to come," Draco chuckled. "It'd look too suspicious if he didn't attend to his brother-in-law's wedding."  
  
"That's great," Sirius said, and smiled also. The Animagus himself didn't care much about Lucius, but he knew that Severus cared a lot. The Slytherin had been very upset over the thought that his oldest friend couldn't come to his wedding.  
  
"There's even better," Draco said with a happy grin. "The bastard wants Dad to maintain his friendship with you and to try and befriend your Gryffindor companions - in secret, of course, he'd otherwise ruin his Malfoy image - in order to suck some information out of you."  
  
"Well, that's very possibly the first time ever when my wishes and Voldemort's are the same," Severus said dryly. "Other than the information part, that is." He couldn't help but smile, however.  
  
Harry looked still a bit surprised about that. Unlike the others, he and Remus had never seen the Potions Master really happy and carefree before Sirius's name had been cleared. Remus, however, had always suspected that this part of Severus existed, so Harry was the only one who always showed surprise at this behaviour from Severus.  
  
"How much have you got settled already?" Draco asked Harry, who'd wrapped his arms around the blonde.  
  
"Quite a lot, actually," Harry replied. "We've set a date that isn't too soon or too late, at last, isn't near or during a full moon, Lilian can get a day off on, isn't during the school exams or any Ministry, Potions Master, or Auror meeting, and is in all other means also suitable for both the lovebirds and the most important gusts."  
  
"So you call us 'lovebirds,' eh?" Sirius asked, grinning at his godson. "May I ask what you two are, then? At least we are decent in public!"  
  
"Yeah, but you two are hiding in some room all the time shagging each other's brains out," Draco snorted. Ignoring the gaze he got from his uncle, he asked, "So, what is that so brilliantly set date, then?"  
  
"Twenty-third of May," Remus replied, again leaving his job of planning the invitations for a while.  
  
"Not too late, eh?" Draco chuckled. "I thought you were going to have just a small wedding. It shouldn't take that long to plan and prepare!"  
  
"If you've forgotten, to a Snape and a Black a 'small wedding' means at least two hundred guests," Narcissa grinned. "All the Slytherins who are still on civil terms with Severus, for example, and many of those who aren't, will of course come."  
  
"By the way, have you decided about your names yet?" Lilian asked from another corner. "Will I have a Black for a brother or a Snape for a brother-in-law? Or will you hyphenate or both keep your own?"  
  
Everyone was already quite used to see Lilian Snape around. At first, Sirius had been a bit hesitant to invite her to the Black Manor over the winter holidays. However, both Narcissa and Severus had demanded that their sister would be there. Besides, with Narcissa and Draco there, it would have been rude to leave her outside the wedding planning.  
  
So, she was planning the guest list while her son, a seven-year-old miniature Severus named Malcolm and equipped with his uncle's wit and attitude, was sneaking around the house and terrorizing everyone and everything.  
  
Now Sirius and Severus glanced at each other. "I think I'll take the Black name," Severus said then. "I'll be damned if I'm going to let anyone forget that I got the guy everyone drooled over back at school."  
  
"Wise words, little brother," Lilian agreed. "I kept my own name and look at what happened to me!"  
  
"I don't think Severus is in a high danger of being left alone with a newborn, sis," Narcissa pointed out with a slight smirk. "And I don't think it had anything to do with your name. It was your own fault all along. I told you not to marry a Slytherin but you didn't listen to me."  
  
"But you married a Slytherin, too, Mum," Draco reminded. "Or are you saying that I'm illegitimate?"  
  
"Yes, I did marry a Slytherin, and no, you aren't illegitimate," she replied calmly. "If I wasn't married to a Slytherin myself, how could I have known to tell my sister not to marry one?"  
  
"Should I take that as a warning?" Sirius asked with a bemused tone. "Or does it only count for all-Slytherin couples?"  
  
"Oh, no, you are safe," Lilian chuckled. "By the looks of it our baby brother is the only one with sense in this family."  
  
"Yeah, stupidity seems to be a family trait," Harry deadpanned, thus earning a smack on his arm from Draco. "Ouch! Hey, calm down, Draco, you are a Malfoy and not a Snape! Hey! Don't hit me!" The two teenagers ran out of the room, Draco chasing Harry, both laughing from the top of their lungs.  
  
Sirius glanced at the other adults. "What it is with those two?" he asked. "They've never been like this before."  
  
"Simple," Remus said, and grinned. He was actually surprised Sirius hadn't figured it out himself, he was such a smart guy, if he got to using his brains instead of running around head first. "They have nothing to worry about right now. You are free and your name cleared, all members of their families are being civil towards each other at least, and they are at least for now in a place where they don't have to hide their relationship from everyone but show it and be accepted like they are. What's there to stop them being happy?"  
  
"And on that note," Lilian added, "you're all aware that 'gay' is a synonym for 'happy,' right?"  
  
"Very well aware," Sirius chuckled, then placed a tiny kiss on Severus's cheek. "I at least am very happy being a gay. Are you?" he then asked his lover.  
  
"Oh, no," Severus said with a dry smirk. "I'd much rather ignore you and marry Mrs. Norris, but it seems like my insufferable bitches of sisters are going to force me into a different kind of relationship."  
  
"Se-ev," Sirius pouted, giving him the most charming kicked puppy look through his nowadays slightly shorter fringe, which was still long enough to fall over his eyes.  
  
"Looks like Harry and Draco aren't the only ones acting childish," the Slytherin man smirked. Then he, in turn, kissed Sirius slightly on the cheek. "Yes, love, I am indeed very happy with you. Now, I believe we had some planning to do?"  
  
"What planning?" Sirius asked, clearly confused. "I thought everything was set at the moment!"  
  
"Some special planning," Severus said, emphasizing the word. "Something we can't do here. It would be much better if we did it in somewhere more... private."  
  
"Oh, that planning," Sirius grinned, his face lighting up in a sudden realization. "Yes, yes, I'd almost forgotten about that! Should we go doing it, then?"  
  
"I think that would be the best," Severus said with a smooth voice. "If these respective people don't require our presence at the moment?" He glanced at Narcissa, Remus, and Lilian, who all shook their head, not even bothering to hide their amusement.  
  
"Sure, go ahead," Narcissa smirked. The expression was so similar to Severus's smirk that it was almost frightening to see on her round, fine-shaped face surrounded by pale blonde locks, everything so different from her brother's face. It was almost unbelievable that those two actually were siblings.  
  
Lilian, on the other hand, had the same slightly large nose and ink-black hair as her "baby brother," although her nose wasn't hooked nor was her hair greasy and limp. Therefore, even as she had the same delicate features as Narcissa, the smirk seemed to suit her much better as she said, "I just knew it - my little brother is just a horny sex-driven pervert!"  
  
"Why, of course I am," Severus said, raising an eyebrow at her comment. "I'm a man, after all." He then grasped on Sirius's arm and the two left the room.  
  
"Is he right?" Narcissa asked from Remus, grinning. "Are all men only thinking about sex all the time?"  
  
"I'm unable to say," Remus replied calmly, all the time pondering exactly what words he should use on the particular point he was working on. "It's been so long that I'm dreaming of just seeing Lucius."  
  
"So all you want to do is to merely see him?" Lilian asked, a slight smirk still on her face. "You don't want to shag his brains out?" Lilian, of course, knew about Remus and Lucius - with both Severus and Narcissa knowing and approving, there was only a faint chance she wouldn't find out sooner or later, and much rather sooner. She also approved their relationship wholeheartedly - she in fact thought it was kind of cute. The Snapes all had promised not to tell anyone, not even Sirius, but that certainly didn't prevent them teasing Remus about it all the time in private.  
  
"Yes, I only want to see him," Remus replied calmly. "After seeing him, though, I want to shag his brains out. Unlike some people, some of us actually possess a certain level of decency."  
  
"Are you hinting that I'm not decent?" Lilian asked with a silky voice so similar to Severus's that it almost made Remus laugh.  
  
"Oh, no. In fact I was hinting towards those other horny men." He raised an amused eyebrow. "Although I have to wonder why you'd automatically think I meant you..."  
  
Narcissa chuckled. "You know, Lucius is truly getting an equal in you," she said, smiling. "Now, are we finished? I do believe I have an appointment to keep later tonight."  
  
"I might have known," Lilian snorted. "You can't really complain about Lucius meeting Remus in secret, now can you? What was your little lover's name anyway?"  
  
"Thomas," Narcissa replied calmly. "Thomas Narcair. And now, if you'll excuse me..." She rose from the table she'd been sitting at, crossing the room to the door and leaving.  
  
Lilian and Remus exchanged amused glances. "One day, I might just forget she's my sister and hex her," she mused calmly aloud, snapping her fingers.  
  
"What for?" the werewolf asked curiously.  
  
"Oh, nothing," she said carefreely. "Not for any particular reason. You don't really have to have reasons for everything, now do you? At least not when concerning siblings."  
  
"I agree," Remus replied wholeheartedly. He had an elder brother, after all. He didn't have any sisters, though - he was the only one of them with only a brother. Severus had Narcissa and Lilian, Sirius had Raven, and even Lucius had a sister, Luciane, although he rarely mentioned her. But, as he said, one brother was definitely enough for him.  
  
Not that he didn't like his brother, anything else. Romulus was two years older than he, and had taken him "under his wing" when he'd gone to Hogwarts. Even though Romulus had been in Ravenclaw and not in Gryffindor, he'd taken care of Remus until the younger brother had befriended Sirius, James, and Peter. Romulus had never cared about his Lycanthropy, either, but always treated him fairly, minus the normal brotherly teasing.  
  
Still, the last time they'd seen each other, which had been a year before, they'd tried to hex each other three times. They had only been separated by Romulus's wife, Catherine, and her sister Claudia. It was just the way they were - brothers.  
  
"I think this just might be good for now," Remus said, glancing at the invitation he'd been planning half of the day. "And even if it isn't, I don't care at the moment. I'll continue tomorrow."  
  
"You may be right," Lilian said, and grinned. "I'll should go make sure that Malcolm doesn't sneak after Severus and Sirius. He can be rather naughty at times."  
  
"Naughty? Say a downright disaster," Remus snorted as they both stood and started walking out of the room. Fortunately, Lilian didn't hold any illusions about her son's true character. Whenever somebody mentioned it, Lilian only laughed and said that he took after his uncle, thus always earning a glare from Severus. "I can't wait seeing how he goes along with Sirius's nephew. That boy is a tornado in pants."  
  
"Jonah Barrow?" Lilian raised an eyebrow. "I've heard rather interesting stories about him. I'm also curious to see how the two are going to interact."  
  
"Let's just hope that Raven keeps her daughter safe in the wedding," Remus said with a grin. "Poor thing, really. With both Jonah and Malcolm around, the girl won't survive longer than the actual ceremony."  
  
"Very probable," Lilian smirked. "Well, we'll just have to apologize to my future sister-in-law for getting her daughter murdered, right?"  
  
"Just that," Remus laughed just as they came to the point where they would have to separate ways. "I'll see you at dinner, then?"  
  
"Right." With the last cunning smirk, Lilian walked away, leaving Remus chuckling to himself over the thought of the little future cousin-in-laws getting together.  
  
He was just going to turn to a side corridor as strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him into the next room. The door was closed, and he heard a couple of locking and silencing spells being muttered.  
  
Then somebody at first gently blowed a lock of hair from his neck, then kissed softly the skin there. "Hello, love," Lucius purred into his ear. "Long time not see."  
  
"Too long time," Remus replied, turning his head to better catch Lucius's scent. Fresh air and snow and mint, and some unique Lucius musk, as well as the lingering scents of some potions. Nothing unpleasant, though, other than the sharp trace of silver that he could still sense from his lover's scent. "I missed you."  
  
"I missed you, too," Lucius replied, then sat on a nearby chair and pulled the werewolf down into his lap. "How are things going on here?"  
  
"Rather well, actually," Remus said, and smiled. "We're getting the wedding plans done - and I heard you'll be able to come, too."  
  
"That's true," Lucius said, and smiled. "Voldemort wants me to keep up an innocent facade to the Ministry. If I now abandoned Severus, they might suspect me being a Death Eater. Not even Ministry could miss it if I suddenly ignored my best friend. Voldemort also wants me to befriend you to coax some information from you lot - although that should only be in private, it might also be suspicious if the great and mighty Malfoy suddenly was nice towards Gryffindors."  
  
"So, you're going to continue just like you've done this far," Remus chuckled. He reached his hands back and wrapped his arms around the blonde's neck. "Pray tell me," he said then slyly, "did he suggest you to seduce one of Dumbledore's forces?"  
  
"No," Lucius smirked, then gently turned Remus's face around to place a long, passionate kiss on his lips. Then, as they broke the kiss, he continued, "That would be my own idea."  
  
"Let's put your idea into action, then," Remus suggested with a slight grin.  
  
"You know, I truly love the way your brain works," the Slytherin chuckled, then started opening Remus's robes with long, fine fingers.  
  
Remus rose from his lap and bent down, starting to hastily unbutton Lucius's black silk shirt at the same time as the other man undid the fastenings of his own simple robes. After that, Lucius stood also, and they continued undressing each other, kissing and touching gently each other every now and then.  
  
At last, Lucius undid the fastenings of Remus's trousers, letting them fall down to the floor. They both stood in naught but their boxers, clearly aroused.  
  
Soon, the two pieces of underwear joined the other clothes on the floor.  
  
They went, kissing all the way, to the heavy four-poster bed in the corner of the room - this was clearly one of the unused guest rooms. They fell to the bed together, their arms wrapped around each other.  
  
"It's been two months," Lucius whispered with hot breath into Remus's ear. "Two damned long months..."  
  
"Let's not make it any longer, then," Remus whispered back, and Lucius agreed whole-heartedly.  
  
He then showed Remus just how much he agreed.  
  
***  
  
"Remus?" asked Olivia's voice from the doorway, startling him from his thoughts. "Um... Dad? Could I talk with you about something?"  
  
Remus turned around and smiled at the girl. "Of course, Olivia," he said. "Please, come in."  
  
She obeyed, still looking rather careful. Remus told her to sit, and she did.  
  
"Now," the werewolf said, studying carefully the look on his adoptive daughter's face, "what's the matter?"  
  
"When I was staying at the Blacks', Severus told me about the... accident," she said carefully. "When Lucius was hurt by that explosion."  
  
Remus blinked a couple of times, looking like he didn't really realize what was going on. Then he sighed resignedly, but didn't say anything.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Olivia demanded, now sounding a bit more certain. "You only told me that I couldn't brew explosive potions anymore. But you never told me why!"  
  
"It... It was too painful," the werewolf whispered, his eyes downcast. "I don't really like to remember it."  
  
"Oh." Olivia didn't seem to be able to think of anything else to say.  
  
"When the... accident happened," Remus started, "I was only informed that Lucius had been taken to St. Mungo's. Even after arriving there, I knew nothing - nobody knew. He had been very close to the explosion, and he was in a coma. For three weeks we didn't know his fate. I... I planned suicide." Memories flew into his mind.  
  
***  
  
4th of December, 2001  
  
*  
  
Remus pressed his wrist against the sharp blade of the dagger. It felt cold against his skin.  
  
He could feel how it would brake his skin.  
  
What if he'd press it further? What if he'd let the blood out? It would be so easy. He wouldn't have to worry any more. Everybody would be so much happier without him.  
  
"Remus?" somebody asked behind him. "Hey, Remus, what are you..." Then he heard a quick breath and then, "Expelliarmus!"  
  
"Hey!" he exclaimed as the knife flew from his hand and landed on Sirius's grasp. His friend stared at him, then at the knife. Then again at him.  
  
"Remus," he whispered, seeing the little drops of blood on the blade. "Never, ever do that again."  
  
"I'll do what I damn well please," the werewolf cried out, tears flowing into his eyes. "You're not my mother!"  
  
"No, I'm not," Sirius admitted. "Nor am I your husband. But I am your friend, Remus, and I don't want to face Lucius when he wakes up and tell him that you've killed yourself."  
  
"Lucius won't wake up," he said blankly. "He'll never wake up."  
  
"He will," Sirius said with a determined voice. "And you're the only one who can help him with it."  
  
"Me?" he snorted. "I can do nothing! What have I done this far? Got him nearly killed!" He felt tears rolling over his cheeks, but he didn't care.  
  
"You blame yourself?" Sirius asked, sounding surprised. "Are you mad? You know damn well that he wanted it himself! You were against the thought from the beginning!"  
  
"That's my point," he said. "If I had supported him more, he'd be fine!"  
  
"No, he wouldn't!" Sirius shouted. "He'd be just like he's now! But if you don't support him now, then he'll die and THEN it'll be your fault!"  
  
"My fault..." he whispered, crying aloud. "My damned bloody fault..."  
  
"Remus, you won't help anyone by hurting yourself," Sirius said softly. "You'll only hurt him more if he ever finds out. But people in a coma are known for getting better if their loved ones are near them and talking to them. You can help him wake up."  
  
***  
  
"Sirius was always there," Remus continued, his eyes cast down to the floor. "He practically dragged me through it, alive and somehow sane."  
  
***  
  
8th of January, 2001  
  
*  
  
"Lucius will survive," Sirius said to him. "He will survive."  
  
"What if he won't?" he whispered.  
  
"He will," Sirius said firmly. "And the more you believe it, the sooner he'll wake up."  
  
"He will survive," Remus echoed, still uncertain.  
  
"Yeah, that's right," Sirius assured and managed a little smile. "Lucius won't leave you. He will survive."  
  
***  
  
"Severus was also in a bad place," Remus continued with an oddly emotionless tone. "He was the one who dug Lucius from the middle of the rumble and got him to the hospital. He also found... other people there. Children's corpses, to be exact. So, he needed Sirius's help almost as badly as I did."  
  
"So Sirius had to be there for both of you," Olivia said quietly.  
  
"Exactly." Remus nodded. "Sometimes, I've wondered how he made it through it all, both Severus and I clinging on him. But I guess that if he could sit twelve years in Azkaban and stay sane, he could do that too."  
  
"Sirius is a strong man," Olivia admitted. "Even though I've only known him for a short time, I know that. He's very strong, physically, mentally, and magically."  
  
"He's our ever-good," Remus grinned. "We others are excellent in one thing and average or lower in others - I'm bookwise and naturally talented in Dark Arts, Severus and Lucius love potions, Harry is an excellent Quidditch player, Draco is superb in Charms. But Sirius - he's not excellent in anything but very good in everything. Maybe we beat him in one thing, but in others, he's always better."  
  
"It must be really frustrating to be married to him," Olivia said, smiling a little. "When I was at their place, it was quite clear that Severus was only better when it came to potions. Although it may be also because Severus doesn't seem to even like wand magic."  
  
"Severus never was one for much 'foolish wand-waving,' like he calls it," Remus said, and chuckled slightly. "He got through Hogwarts, true. And he's magically strong - not maybe as strong as Sirius is, and definitely not even near Harry, but more so than just an average wizard. He never bothered to practice more wand magic than he needed to make it through school, however."  
  
"Maybe that's why I get along so well with him," she mused aloud. "From what I gather, he rarely even carries his wand with him, or, when he does, only used it to cleaning cauldrons or the like. He always asked Sirius to do every spell or charm, so it didn't feel difficult to me to ask the same."  
  
"That may be one reason," Remus admitted with a gentle smile. "I think it's more because you're so similar. You rarely show your feelings and don't talk unless there's a reason to, you are both talented in potions and Divination, you're quite smart, you both love researching and finding new things, and -" He suddenly stopped speaking mid-sentence.  
  
"What now, Dad?" Olivia asked, frowning. "Why did you stop? What's the last similarity between me and Severus?"  
  
Remus was quiet for a moment. Then, switching uneasily, he said, "You both had an abusive father."  
  
Olivia didn't say anything.  
  
~*~  
  
Olivia was sitting alone in the quiet, empty ball room.  
  
Well, not so quiet really. She was glancing through some books containing different songs and lyrics, singing quietly to herself.  
  
She took another book from the pile, opening the first page. For her great surprise it read, with Lucius's familiar, elegant writing, "To my dearest Remus. May this be of use." Curious, Olivia turned the page, revealing the first song in the book.  
  
"Ah," she mused, "this one I've not seen before." She began glancing through the book.  
  
On every page of the book there was a nursery song or a lullaby, both the words and notes written down with the familiar, round handwriting of her lycanthropic "father". Most were probably written with a Voice Quill, she noted. She also noticed that some of the last pages were empty. Why the book had been left unfinished, she had no idea.  
  
She also didn't know why on Earth Remus write down nursery songs, or better even, create them - for she hadn't seen any of those before. But, the melodies were beautiful, and she liked the lyrics as well.  
  
Humming quietly to herself, she began studying the songs.  
  
~*~  
  
"Narcissa's invited us for a dinner tomorrow night," Lucius said the next morning in the breakfast table. "What do you think? Should we go?"  
  
"Why not?" Remus replied, shrugging. "It might be nice to see them, it's been a while after all."  
  
"Are you sure?" Lucius asked with a worried frown. "It's only a few days to the next full moon. Do you think the wolf will keep down?"  
  
"I think so," the werewolf said calmly. "For Merlin's sake, Lucius, it's still four days until the full moon. I'm only beginning to really feel the pull! Besides, I can already tell that the wolf is relatively calm this month. Must be because I let my own aggressions out just recently," he added with a slight grin.  
  
Lucius gave him a dry smile. "And damn well you did it," he muttered. "So we're going, then?"  
  
"Going where?" asked a familiar voice behind them.  
  
Remus turned around and smiled at Olivia over his shoulder. "The Narcairs have asked us for a dinner tomorrow," he replied.  
  
"Narcissa says she'd like to see you," Lucius added, smiling also. He waved the letter, which he'd just got by owl post. "I think you'll like them, they're really quite nice."  
  
"Narcairs?" Olivia echoed as she sat. "Let me think... Narcissa, your ex-wife? She's Draco's mother, isn't she?" she asked, looking at Lucius, who nodded. "And her current husband Thomas. They had also children, two, if I remember right. Maria was one - I remember that, since my mother's name was Maria."  
  
"Right," Remus assured her. "And the boy is Daniel. Maria'll be five and Daniel two this year, Maria in November and Daniel in October."  
  
"They're cute children," Lucius admitted. Then he smirked and said, "Of course, they're not half as cute as Draco was when he was little."  
  
"So we have hope they won't end half as bad as Draco is?" Olivia asked innocently.  
  
Remus chuckled, and Lucius raised an amused eyebrow. "I don't think anyone can be as bad as my son is," the blonde stated with a dry tone. "He could have gone and had a nice girl with whom share his life, but no, he just had to be as stupid as I was and fall in love with a bloody Gryffindor, The Boy Who Lived on top of it all!"  
  
"And still you love Harry like a son," Remus smiled. "And Sirius like a brother, just like you love Severus. And me... How much do you love me?"  
  
"With simple logic, I love you like myself," the Slytherin smirked. "And because I'm a Malfoy, that's the most of my love you could ever have." He bent down and pecked Remus gently on the cheek. "Jokes aside, Remus, you know I love you more than anything. Just promise me one thing."  
  
"Oh?" Remus in turn raised his eyebrow. "And what might that be?"  
  
Lucius took his hand and looked him seriously right in the eye. "If you feel the slightest bit uncomfortable with the wolf tomorrow, just tell me, and we'll come home," he demanded. "Narcissa and Thomas will understand. I won't have you in an unfamiliar territory for a second too long if the wolf is restless."  
  
"Lucius -" Remus started, but his husband interrupted him.  
  
"Just promise me, Remus." The silver eyes were shining with love and worry for the werewolf.  
  
The Gryffindor smiled gently. "I promise," he said. "I will tell you if the wolf acts up. Although I doubt it will, only strong emotional changes can pull it up three days before the moon."  
  
"I don't care. I just want to know that you are all right." Lucius stroked gently his cheek, then leaned in to place a warm, loving kiss on his husband's lips. Remus returned the kiss.  
  
Olivia watched her two fathers, beaming.  
  
~*~  
  
"So you are Olivia, then?" Narcissa asked, smiling at the teenager in front of her. "It's nice to meet you. I am Narcissa Narcair, call me Narcissa." She gave out her hand, which the girl took, although she looked a bit nervous.  
  
Narcissa surveyed her young guest. She was wearing a Malfoy-green, long skirt and a pale green blouse, a dragon-shaped silver necklace, and a green snake bracelet around her left wrist. Narcissa knew that bracelet; it was made of one emerald, worth fortunes, and a traditional Malfoy jewel. It, as well as the silver seal ring in the girl's right hand, clearly showed that she belonged to the Malfoy family. Even if she hadn't born to it, she now had the right to become the Lady of Malfoy just as Narcissa herself had once been one. The girl looked nervous, true, but she carried the valuable jewels like they'd been a part of her - something Narcissa had never accomplished. She hadn't been anything but a friend to Lucius, ever, but Olivia was a daughter to him. Olivia was a Malfoy, just as clearly as Narcissa wasn't.  
  
"Thomas will be here soon," she said, as much to Remus and Lucius as to Olivia. "He just went to fetch Maria and Daniel. They've been waiting to see you, Lucius," she added with a smile. Even though Lucius wasn't related to the children, other than being their halfbrother's father, they'd adopted him as some kind of an uncle. They liked Remus a lot, true, and Sirius, and Severus definitely - the only one of their uncles who really was their uncle - but the only one who they loved was Lucius. The adults had a long time ago ceased to even try and understand just why they clung on the blonde man so fondly.  
  
Just as she'd said that, a brunette man walked into the room with two little children on his side. The girl, with brown hair of her father's and black eyes from her grandfather, and the boy, with platinum blonde hair and brown eyes, squealed in delight as they saw Lucius. They ran forward, and the girl hugged him fondly while the boy grasped on his hand.  
  
"Uncle Lucius! You came!" Maria Narcair shouted.  
  
"Mizzt you, Unca Luci!" Daniel said in his adorable baby talk.  
  
"Hey, Narcair," Lucius said to Thomas, faking a displeased tone, "you ought to be a better father to your children! What are you doing to them when they hang on the first man who enters the house?"  
  
"Now, now, children," Thomas chuckled, not caring the slightest about Lucius's tone, which he knew was not real. "Leave Uncle Lucius in peace, okay? And come over to greet our other guests, too."  
  
The children turned towards the two other people. "Hello, Uncle Remus!" Maria yelled happily, and Daniel, too, said, "Hi, Unca Remiz!"  
  
Then they both turned towards Olivia, who looked suddenly a bit strained. "Who are you?" Maria asked curiously.  
  
"I'm Olivia," she answered her, forcing herself to smile. "I'm Remus and Lucius's daughter."  
  
"Oh! Are you our sister too, then? 'Coz Draco is our brother," the little girl said happily."I think I'm a... Well... Some kind of a step-halfsister," Olivia smiled. "Or a half-halfsister, whatever suits you better."  
  
"Yay! We have a new sister!" Maria grinned. "Nice to meet you, Oliv!"  
  
"Oliv?" Remus echoed, sounding amused. "Well, I think you could be called that. Not only the nickname I'd thought of first."  
  
"And what you'd thought of?" Lucius asked, leaning in to peck the werewolf on the cheek.  
  
"Dunno. Maybe Cub?" the smaller man replied with a grin.  
  
*  
  
After the dinner, they were all in the sitting room. Narcissa noticed that Olivia, who was both chattering with the children and following the adults' conversation, kept giving Thomas cautious glances. The same she'd been doing during the whole dinner.  
  
Thomas bent momentarily down to give Narcissa a quick kiss on the cheek. Narcissa noted Olivia's instant tension, then saw how she relaxed a bit as Thomas turned away from her, deep in discussion with Remus. When Remus and Lucius kissed, however, or when the two men held hands, Olivia merely smiled happily at them, not minding the slightest.  
  
Poor girl. Poor little girl.  
  
Narcissa glanced towards the window, seeing that it was already dark outside. "It's time to put the children to sleep," she mused aloud, making the mentioned two groan in protest. A protest that went unnoticed, of course.  
  
"Could I?," asked a quiet voice. It was Olivia. She was eyeing the children watchfully, an odd smile on her face.  
  
"Are you sure?" Narcissa asked. "They can be quite devilish sometimes if they want to cause problems." She glanced sharply at her children, who looked back at her, trying their best to look angelic.  
  
"I often put some of the younger children to sleep in the orphanage," Olivia said quietly, avoiding her gaze.  
  
Narcissa couldn't help but smile. "Of course, if you think you can handle them," she said. "Follow me. I'll show you to their bedroom."  
  
"What, only one bedroom?" Lucius asked, raising an eyebrow. "They don't have separated rooms?"  
  
"They prefer being together," she told him calmly. "And they also have separated playing rooms, should they want to be alone for a while. Now, Maria, Daniel, come with me. Olivia, will you..."  
  
"Of course," she said quickly, following her and the children out of the sitting room.  
  
It looked to Narcissa like the further away they got from the sitting room, the more Olivia eased. At the time they were in the children's room's door she was actually smiling, a happy smile she hadn't seen on her face before.  
  
She showed Olivia the children's beds. She watched as Maria and Daniel changed themselves to their pyjamas, then turned towards Olivia the last time.  
  
"Just ask a house-elf to call me if you have any problems," she advised the girl.  
  
"Okay," Olivia said, and smiled. "Don't worry. I believe we'll be just fine."  
  
"And you, little ones," she said then, turning towards her children, "behave yourselves. If I hear a word from Olivia about you two not behaving properly, I'll be very upset about you. Do you understand?"  
  
"Yez, Mum," Daniel said sweetly. Then he reached out his hands to her. "Goodnight kizz?"  
  
"Of course, sweetheart," she smiled, and knelt down to hug her son and give him a little kiss on the cheek. "Now, go to sleep."  
  
"Me too," Maria demanded, and she, also, received a hug and a kiss.  
  
"Now, listen to Olivia and be nice," Narcissa advised, walking to the door.  
  
"Bye bye Mum!" Maria called, waving her hand frantically. "Thank you, please, farewell, good night to you, you're welcome, thank you I'm fine!"  
  
"Bye, Maria," she replied. "And good night." At Olivia's wondering gaze, she said so lowly that the children didn't hear, "It's her little habit. She seems to believe that whenever I'm even leaving the room, she has to say every polite phrase she can think of to say goodbye properly to me."  
  
"Oh, that's cute," Olivia chirped, and again smiled a bit.  
  
"So it is," Narcissa agreed, smiling with motherly pride.  
  
She left the room, Olivia, and the children, quickly making her way back to the sitting room. The three men were chatting lazily as she entered the room and crossed it to sit down on the couch next to her husband.  
  
"So you left them with Olivia, then?" Remus asked.  
  
Narcissa nodded. "She looked almost relieved as she got away from here," she mentioned then.  
  
"Probably away from me," her husband said dryly. "I saw the way she looked at me. Poor girl looked like she thought I might bite her head off if she said a word too much."  
  
"Oh." Remus looked slightly uneasy. "I apologize for her, Thomas. It's nothing personal against you, really."  
  
"I know," Thomas said, waving his hand in the air. "I've received rather thorough explanations of her situation. Who can blame the poor thing if she's afraid? No matter what she remembers, even one beating can develop a fear to a young child."  
  
"That's too true," Narcissa said quietly, her eyes downcast. She remembered all too well her own father, and how their mother had far too often told her to take Lilian and Severus to her room, lock the door, and keep them there.  
  
Sometimes, their father would use Alohomora.  
  
Those times, it was usually Severus who got beaten. The girls had always tried to protect their baby brother, but he'd easily shove them aside or bind them with spells. For some reason he never bothered with them if they didn't stand on the way, blocking him getting to little Severus. If anyone, Narcissa would have suspected herself to get most logically beaten - she looked less like her father, after all. But no, their father would always take Severus as his target, even though the boy had always been almost a carbon copy of their father.  
  
Nobody said anything at that. The Malfoys only gave her a sympathetic look, and Thomas wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her near.  
  
"Do you have any means to listen to them?" Remus asked then, trying to lift up the suddenly depressing atmosphere. "Surely you don't just leave them there and hope that they won't wake up?"  
  
"Oh, no," Narcissa said. She pointed at a nearby table. There was a round, white, plate-like stone with an emerald in the middle. "That's my Contact Stone," she told them. "It channels the sounds from the children's bedroom. The sounds are quiet enough that they can't even be heard with normal hearing if everything is okay, but if one of them shouts or cries, it is loud enough. Also, if I want to hear them, touching the gem in it causes the sounds to come out like they are in the very room."  
  
"It's very useful, you know," Lucius said. "We had one in Draco's bedroom when he was just a baby. You wouldn't believe just how often I purposefully listened just to make sure he was breathing."  
  
"Yeah, Draco was such a quiet child," Narcissa admitted with a smile. "I think now he's trying to make up for it."  
  
They all laughed. After that, the conversation went into lighter topics. Narcissa told about Maria's and Daniel's recent doings - something she never got tired of - and the men listened politely, until Thomas mercifully stopped her by reminding that Remus and Lucius, being both male, weren't half as interested in stories about children as her female friends were. Remus said that it didn't matter, but as she noticed that Lucius was half asleep, she decided to change the topic.  
  
They talked for quite some time. As Narcissa was pouring herself another cup of tea, she suddenly noticed that Remus's mouth had become a thin line. His eyes were fixed on the Contact Stone.  
  
"What now?" Lucius asked, glancing worriedly at his husband. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"She's singing," Remus said, his voice barely more than a whisper. "She's singing them to sleep..."  
  
"Don't worry, love," her ex-husband said soothingly. "Many people sing their children to sleep. It doesn't mean anything special."  
  
"Maybe not," Remus said, and sighed, "but it still disturbs me."  
  
"Calm down, Remus," Thomas advised gently. "If you're going to jump every time somebody's singing for the rest of your life, you won't get much of peace but a whole lot of sport."  
  
"Thomas is right," Narcissa smiled. "Please try and calm down, Remus. I understand it upsets you, but you shouldn't get yourself all worked up over it."  
  
The werewolf nodded, looking relaxed - or, at least, more relaxed than before. Narcissa couldn't help but notice, however, that there was still a strained look in his eyes, and that he still kept giving the Contact Stone watchful glances.  
  
~*~  
  
Olivia thought of all the songs she knew. There were a lot of them, sure, and many of those that might do as lullabies. She just couldn't decide which one she should sing for next.  
  
She tried to think something slow and soothing, as the children seemed to still be quite restless. At last, she settled on a song she'd found from the mysterious book of Remus's creation. In fact, it was the last song in the whole book, and she liked it quite much despite its slightly depressing tone.  
  
After quickly bringing the lyrics back to her mind, she began to sing.  
  
~*~  
  
The porcelain cup suddenly dropped from Remus's hands, shattering to pieces on the floor. The werewolf turned towards the Contact Stone, his face paling past white to grey. His eyes were wide with shock, and his lips trembled.  
  
Narcissa frowned, wondering what might be wrong with her friend. Thomas eyed the small man also questioningly.  
  
Lucius, however, fixed his attention on the Contact Stone, clearly listening to it. After a second, he paled almost as much as Remus had done. "It can't be," the Potions Master whispered, obviously quite shocked. "It just can't..." He reached out a hand and pressed the little gem on the stone.  
  
"Sleep into the cradle of the Death, she'll quietly rock you till you sleep," Olivia's voice sang from the stone. "Sleep, my little wolf, it is so late, sleep into your own dreaming so deep."  
  
The music faded away as Lucius jerked his hand away like the magical object had burned him. Remus buried his pale face in the crook of his husband's neck, his tears soaking the blonde wizard's shirt. The Slytherin wrapped his arms around his husband, glancing worriedly at Narcissa and Thomas over the gold-silver hair.  
  
The Narcairs both shook their heads slowly. They didn't know what to do.  
  
"You haven't told her?" Narcissa asked quietly at last.  
  
Lucius shook his head. "No, we haven't," he sighed. "Looks like we should some time soon, though."  
  
After a moment, Remus raised his head. "Lucius," he said with a highly strained voice. "I think - I think we should -" He sighed, drew a long breath, then said, "I think we should leave. Now."  
  
Lucius didn't ask his reasons. Nor did Narcissa or Thomas.  
  
They could all very well see the yellow rims in Remus's amber eyes.  
  
Narcissa felt very bad for her lycanthropic friend. The strong negative emotions were pulling the wolf nearer the surface. It could not take control over Remus, but its feelings and instincts reflected to him. Therefore, being in a place he didn't know well, the werewolf was beginning to get extremely nervous.  
  
"I'll go and get Olivia," she said, getting on her feet. "Are you waiting for her or leaving immediately?"  
  
The Malfoys glanced at each other. Remus chewed his lower lip nervously, and Lucius watched him questioningly. This was up to Remus.  
  
"As bad as it makes me feel," the werewolf said slowly, "I'm forced to think it'd be better if we left as soon as possible. Tell her - tell her we're in our sitting room."  
  
Narcissa nodded. "I'll tell her that." She hesitated for a moment, then said, "You should really tell her about it."  
  
Lucius nodded gloomily. "I know," he sighed. "And we will. Eventually, we will." He glanced at Remus worried, then said, "But definitely not before the full moon. After that, I don't know. Some day, yes. I just don't know how soon."  
  
"Stop babbling about that," Remus snapped sharply, grasping Lucius's arm. "Let's just go home now. Please, Lucius." His voice was a mixture of sorrow and tiredness and even slight fear, and it made Narcissa's heart ache for the brunette man.  
  
"All right, my dear," Lucius said softly, placing a gentle kiss on the top of Remus's head. He then turned towards the Narcairs for the last time. "Sorry for this," he said apologetically. "We'll visit you some other time, or maybe you could come to the Malfoy Manor. Just not this near a full moon."  
  
"It's okay," Narcissa said, smiling a little. "It was my fault, really. I should have thought about the phase of the moon before I invited you."  
  
"It's nobody's fault," Remus sighed. "I'm sorry for being rude, Thomas, Narcissa, but I just - I just can't stay." He brought one hand up to hold his head for a while as if he had a headache.  
  
"It's okay," Thomas said smoothly. "We understand. It's not like you can help it."  
  
"Just get home, and rest," Narcissa advised. She couldn't help her motherly instincts getting on overdrive every once in a while. Despite her usual character she was a protective parent, overprotective even. Although she knew very well that Remus was a grown man and probably more capable of taking care of her than she was of taking care of him, something in the werewolf always called for her "mother hen" side like Thomas sometimes teasingly called it.  
  
She watched as Thomas led the Malfoys out of the room to the nearest room with a fireplace. Then she turned on her heels, starting to walk to the children's bedroom to fetch Olivia.  
  
*  
  
"Olivia?" Narcissa called to the dark room. "Olivia, are you here?"  
  
"I'm here," the girl replied, stepping into the dim light. "They're both sound asleep. I was just going to come to you. What's the matter?"  
  
Narcissa considered her words carefully. "The wolf... It got too strong for Remus to stay here," she said quietly. "They had to leave. They're waiting for you in their sitting room."  
  
"Oh." Although the only light in the room came from the window, which was almost as good as nothing it being a winter night, Narcissa could see that Olivia was very pale. "Well... I should go back home then, right?"  
  
"I think that'd be the best." She forced herself to smile reassuringly at the younger witch. "I believe Remus is alright, don't worry. The wolf just made him nervous since this isn't his usual environment. I bet he was all right as soon as he got home."  
  
"I know," Olivia replied, following her as she started to lead the way to the nearest fireplace. "I've done some research on lycanthropes and the Lycanthropy in general ever since I found out about Remus. I think I already know more about these things than they teach in Hogwarts."  
  
"That's good," Narcissa smiled. "I myself knew absolutely nothing before I got to know Remus. Since I noticed how good of a person he is, I started to hate those Ministry people who've made all kinds of laws against him."  
  
"But Dad's already cancelled some of them," Olivia reminded. "Werewolves can be hired for any job, and they can now freely marry full humans, for example. From what I've gathered, both things were practically impossible just ten years ago."  
  
"Yes, he's truly accomplished a lot." She opened the door to their other sitting room. "Floo powder is in that pot," she said, pointing at the little pot on the mantle.  
  
Olivia nodded, walking nearer the fireplace. Narcissa flicked her wand, lighting up the magical fire whilst Olivia took some powder from the little pot.  
  
"Thank you," Olivia said politely before tossing the powder. "And goodbye. It was a pleasure meeting you."  
  
"I was also pleased to meet you, Olivia," Narcissa said with a smile. "Goodbye, and farewell."  
  
The girl nodded, then turned towards the fireplace and threw the powder into the flames. "Malfoy Manor, master sitting room!" she cried out as the flames turned green. Then she took a step forward, entered the flames, and was away.  
  
~*~  
  
Sleep quietly, my little happy star,  
  
It is so nice to fall asleep in safe.  
  
Sleep quietly, my little cute star.  
  
I'll keep guard, it is just in case.  
  
Sleep in to the cradle of the Death,  
  
She'll quietly rock you till you sleep.  
  
Sleep, my little wolf, it is so late,  
  
Sleep into your own dreaming so deep.  
  
*  
  
Sleep quietly, my little pretty star,  
  
I'm going to remember you till my death.  
  
Sleep quietly, my little tired star,  
  
This is the warmest you will ever get.  
  
Sleep into the forest of the Sorrow,  
  
Where will she carry you, like I've done.  
  
Sleep, my little child, my love is hollow,  
  
Sleep, and when you wake up, I am gone.  
  
~*~  
  
"Draco?" Harry called as he entered the bedroom, not finding his fiancé there. "Draco, where are you?"  
  
"In the shower," came a muffled reply from the next room. "Come over here, will you? I need to talk with you about something."  
  
Harry smirked and shook his head, amused. If Draco wanted to talk right now, nothing would stop him. Not even the fact that he was just washing himself. He walked to the bathroom door, opened it, and stepped inside.  
  
"What it is?" he asked, letting his gaze openly survey the other man's body. Draco was standing his back to Harry, and he'd left the shower curtains open. His slender, short form was shining with water, the perfectly muscled limbs moving gracefully as the blonde washed his hair. Nobody could say that Draco Malfoy wasn't good-looking.  
  
"I was just thinking that we should set the wedding date," Draco said casually like he hadn't been just standing there in nothing but water covering his pale skin. "I'd like it in the middle of summer, July would be perfect. We can't have it near a full moon for obvious reasons. The last and third day are also out, being your and Olivia's birthdays. I'd rather not have it too near the twenty-first either, since that's Mum's wedding day. So, do you have any suggestions?"  
  
Harry swallowed. A lump of foam fell down from Draco's blonde head, sliding down his spine and disappearing between his buttocks. It left a trail of foam behind itself, along which even more shampoo started to slide down.  
  
Draco seemed to sense Harry's eyes on himself, since he turned around to face him. "Care to join me?" he asked with a slight smirk.  
  
"You bet," Harry grinned, then started hastily undressing himself. In no time, he accompanied the Slytherin in the shower. He enjoyed the warmth of the water and the body heat radiating from Draco's naked body. They were standing near, so near...  
  
Draco smirked at him, then suddenly rose on his tiptoes and planted a wet, passionate kiss on his lips. "You look gorgeous," Draco said as they broke off the kiss, slightly breathless.  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow with a little smirk. The Malfoy habits really rubbed easily off on anyone nearby. "Well, perhaps I've got somebody to take after," he chuckled. "You look nothing short of perfect."  
  
"Which part of me is most perfect, then?" Draco asked slyly. "Other than the obvious, of course."  
  
"Well, if the obvious is that you don't snore too loudly, then..." Harry laughed at Draco's expression and kissed him on the tip of his nose. "The most perfect part is you," he then said. "All of you. There's no parting, everything is just perfect."  
  
"Nice to hear," Draco smirked. Then he wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and drew him into another long kiss.  
  
Harry enjoyed the situation. The warm water pounding on his hair, Draco's wet body against his own, Draco's mouth on his own...  
  
Draco's groin pushing against his own...  
  
~*~  
  
Severus smiled down at the book he was reading. The Inner Eye and Those Who Possess It, was the book's name, and it was nothing like the rubbish Trelawney taught to the poor children at school. He'd read the book three times now, never getting bored to it.  
  
He glanced over at Sirius. His husband was lying on the couch, sound asleep. The Slytherin shook his head, smiling. So typical of Sirius; to ride his damned motorbike around for the whole afternoon after he'd gotten home from work, then walk in without even taking his boots off and fall asleep on the couch. He'd probably soon jump up, as brisk as he'd be after a full night's sleep, and ready to again do anything he could even think about. All Severus could do was to desperately hope that the "anything" wouldn't this time involve the bloody motorbike, sleepy mind and bare head. Sirius had once, two years before, went to a midnight ride without his safety helmet, fell asleep for a second and almost got himself killed. That night, and the four weeks following it that Sirius had been in the St. Mungo's, Severus had fully understood what Remus had felt when Lucius had been injured. He'd also understood just how much he hated the damned motorbike, which Sirius still insisted on riding at every opportunity.  
  
He turned to the section of the book he hadn't read properly. It merely told about some special kinds of beings, like centaurs, who had natural talents for Divination. These he knew from other books, so he kept glancing through the section without ever reading it.  
  
Now, however, he decided to take a more careful look at it. This was partly due to his boredom, partly because on their trip to Finland he'd heard of a recently discovered bird who seemed to possess a real talent to tell with its singing whenever bad luck was coming about. Since he didn't trust any other source but this book, which had never failed him, he now tried to search for it.  
  
He never got to see whether the book knew about the bird. Right after centaurs, his eyes caught an unfamiliar word.  
  
"Ciddles?" he mused aloud. "I've never heard of that." Curious, he started reading the text.  
  
"A Ciddle is an offspring of a Pureblood and a Squib. They have usually been frowned upon in the wizarding society, and they're the main reason to the disapprovance of this kind of relationship."  
  
Severus blinked. An offspring of a Pureblood and a Squib? Very well. He couldn't recall ever meeting a Pureblood who'd be willing to marry a Squib. The reasons must be very heavy to plant such prejudices in the people's minds.  
  
He continued reading.  
  
"Ciddles, although are almost never Squibs themselves, can never use their full magical abilities properly. When they're young, their magic shows up just as in any magical person. This goes on for longer than in other magical people, because they never gain the conscious control over their magic. No magical education is an option to a Ciddle, as they're permanently unable to gain this control. When their magical power reaches its peak, this uncontrolled magic disappears, to be only revealed when the Ciddle is highly upset or frightened.  
  
"Sometimes, when the magical surging of the childhood is still existant, an extremely frightening or upsetting event involving magic can 'block' the Ciddle. In these cases, they subconsciously gain control over their magic too prematurely, and the surging ends. When happening to a young child, this seems to be a disappearance of the magic of a normal magical person, and has led to the numerous mistaken stories about 'burning out.'  
  
"Squibs and Ciddles are also involved with each other in other ways than by birth. There is one, and only one, spell that a Squib is able to do. This spell reveals if the person it's casted on is a Ciddle or not. All Squibs are capable of this spell, but only a couple of them are willing to do it. Therefore, the Ministry has named certain Squibs from each area of Wizarding habitation as Ciddle testers, should there be a need need be for this spell to be performed.  
  
"A Ciddle, although never able to use their full magic, can usually cast a limited amount of spells and charms. These are usually of one or two very limited areas, such as Levitating, Glamour Spells, or Banishing. Ciddles often are also talented on one or two areas of magic that do not require wand magic, like Divination, Astronomy, Alchemy, or Potions. To use these spells, Ciddles have their own kind of wands.  
  
"The Ciddle wands aren't like the normal wands. All these wands are the same length, 12 inches, and often decorated with engravings. They don't have a handle, rarely even a core. They're sometimes made of metal, bone, or porcelain, unlike the normal wands, which are always wooden. The material and other appearance of the wand reflect its user's general character and the area of magic they're talented on.  
  
"These wands are not sold everywhere, as Ciddles have always been, are, and will probably always be, very rare in any wizarding society, considering the special circumstances they require to be born. The most famous wand store in Europe that also sells Ciddle wands is in the Rue du Réves, in Paris."  
  
For a moment he just stared at the book. The explanation was right there, in front of his nose. Had always been. The only problem was, he hadn't ever thought about looking at it.  
  
He felt slightly distracted. Olivia was a Ciddle, that much was clear. She'd been surging like any other magical child. However, her letter to Hogwarts had never come. And when she'd gotten into a frightening event involving her magic - excluding her fathers beating, of course. It was a miracle she hadn't stopped surging right away - it had stopped, leaving her completely unable to use any magic. However, Olivia was a Muggleborn.  
  
Or was she?  
  
But, that was beside the point. The point being that there indeed was some wand magic Olivia would be able to preform - and a wand she'd be able to use.  
  
Now, they only had to get the wand for her. 


	13. When Magicless do Magic

Summary: Argus Filch gets a surprising invitation, and olivia finally gets a wand. A silver one. Remus and Olivia shop some more, French people don't like werewolves, and Remus has to allow Olivia leave. Olivia casts a spell, the wedding is becoming a problem, and Mr. Ronald Weasley gets also an unexpected (and unwanted) invitation.  
  
Also, Olivia enters a memory.  
  
DISCLAIMER: Lovely JKR owns everything you recognize from the books. Everything else, including the unlikely plot, is mine.  
  
A/N: May I introduce you my new muse: Severus! ^_^  
  
Severus: *grumbles*  
  
You see, I was running short of ideas, so I told Severus that if he doesn't give me new ones, I'll kill Sirius off just to get some twists to the story. And, I got at least five plot bunnies at the same moment!  
  
Severus: *death glare* Not fair...  
  
He's not on his bed mood today... But to keep Sirius safe, he'll behave!  
  
Again, thousand thanks to Airiel for betaing this chapter, too!  
  
And, a WARNING: For those who are wondering about the song, in this chap you (and the others, too) will have a cliffhanger! ^_^  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
.~*~.Our little one. ~*~.  
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
When Magicless Do Magic  
  
***************************************  
  
This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.  
  
This chapter is partly flashbacks.  
  
[Speech] is French.  
  
***************************************  
  
Argus Filch was furious.  
  
All those damned brats had just decided to make his day even worse than it was. Three Dungbomb attacks--three! In the same day!--and seven corridors full of dirt and snow from the outside. And he, Argus Filch, had been forced to clean everything!  
  
He stomped into his office, grumbling quietly to himself. If he only could, he'd whip some sense to the brats. But, he couldn't, Dumbledore was too kind. He respected the old wizard, but he was just too soft for his own good. If he couldn't treat these kids like they deserved to be treated, they'd grow up and turn out to be immature, foolish, annoying brats for their whole life. Like Sirius Black.  
  
He still couldn't believe that Severus Snape--the only other man he'd ever had respected--had fallen for the Gryffindor. Black was the very epitome of everything Argus despised in children--carelessness, prank pulling, unthoughtfulness, and overdaring. He couldn't even begin to count the times Black had almost got himself killed - both at school and as an adult man. And it was to this brat that Severus Snape--the most intelligent, careful, tidy, detail-seeing, and controlled man Argus had ever had the honor to meet--had decided to marry.  
  
It just didn't seem right.  
  
Well, it wasn't his job to criticize anyone's love life. His job was to keep those bloody kids under line. It was just too hard.  
  
Just as he was begining to think of begging Dumbledore to make physical punishment allowed again, something knocked on his window. He looked up and saw a big, chocolate brown owl pecking at the glass, a parchment in its claws. He got slowly up and let the owl in; it flew to his desk, dropping the letter there.  
  
Argus stared at the letter in front of him, wondering what it might say. The owl hooted softly, pushing the scroll nearer to him with its foot. It had obviously been told to wait for a response.  
  
Suspiciously, he took the parchment scroll, and rolled it open. The further he read, the more astonished he became.  
  
Mr. Filch,  
  
We are approaching you in a matter concerning your secondary title as a Ciddle Tester. We discovered your state while doing research in the Ministry registries, also finding out that you are the only qualified tester in the area in which we are living. Therefore, we are asking for your aid, as we need to have the test performed.  
  
We understand you have other duties, and will respect your choice. We're requesting you to give us a time that is fitting for you. We shall send a coach to fetch you from the school at the given time. This coach will bring you to Malfoy Manor, where you will perform the Ciddle test on our daughter, Olivia Amber Malfoy.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Lucius Malfoy and Remus Malfoy  
  
Lord of Malfoy Keeper of the Wolf's Staff  
  
He read the letter again. And again. He blinked, and read it again.  
  
A Malfoy... who was a Ciddle? Of course he'd heard that the Malfoys had adopted a girl, although he'd be damned if he understood why anybody would want to take care of any more irritable kids than they had to. But... a Ciddle under the Malfoy name? This was a joke. This had to be a joke.  
  
But it wasn't. He examined the seal, noting that it was indeed the genuine Malfoy family seal. Also, the handwriting looked exactly the same as he'd seen previously in Lucius Malfoy's letters.  
  
Deciding to play along, he took a parchment and a quill. He scribbled a short note.  
  
Mr. Malfoy,  
  
I'll be able to arrive Thursday the 5th of this week. The coach ought to arrive at midday.  
  
Yours,  
  
Argus Filch  
  
He rolled up the note and gave it to the owl. The bird hooted again softly, then flew through the still open window.  
  
Argus sat slowly. He didn't know what to think.  
  
Mrs. Norris slipped in the room, meowing softly. He welcomed his beloved pet to his lap and began petting her, like he always did when he was disturbed by something.  
  
Mrs. Norris started purring, washing all the thoughts of Malfoys and Ciddles and the bloody damned brats from his mind.  
  
*  
  
Filch stood in front of the Malfoy Manor. The coach had arrived at the exact moment he'd told it to come, and now, after a long ride during which he'd even managed to a little sleep, he'd reached his destination.  
  
Collecting all his courage and slipping the cranky mask back on the place, he rose the few steps and knocked on the door.  
  
The door flung open immediately. In front of him stood a little house-elf, wearing something that looked like a uniform. This seemed to be a very high-level house-elf, for he knew that ordinary house-elves wouldn't agree to wearing anything even if they'd been allowed to.  
  
"Good afternoon, Mr. Filch," the house-elf said with a squeaky voice. "Please follow me. Master Malfoy is waiting for you in the sitting room."  
  
He stepped inside, trying to ignore his unsure feeling. The doors banged closed behind him, leaving him standing in an enormous hall. The house-elf turned without waiting for another command, and wakjed away. He followed the creature.  
  
On his way he watched observed everything around him. The heavy chandeliers, the thick rugs covering the floors, aristocratic people watching him from their portraits. Everything from the engraved doors to the fascinating paintings covering the ceiling told of great wealth and social status.  
  
He couldn't find silver to save his life, though, and this confused him greatly. After all, the traditional materials of the Malfoy family were green velvet and silver, and although he could spot the rich forest-green velvet about everywhere, silver was truly nowhere to be seen.  
  
Then he saw the slight marks of claws on one door and instantly remembered the Lycanthropy of one of the Masters of the Manor. Of course there was no silver around.  
  
The house-elf stopped in front of the claw-marked door and knocked twice sharply. After listening for a moment, it opened the door and stepped inside, waiting for him to follow before it closed the door.  
  
They were now in a sitting room decorated with green. The Malfoy crest was sewn on the rug covering most of the floor as well as random hangings on the walls. The furniture was made of silvery wood and green velvet, and long, high bookshelves covered most of the walls. The long curtains around the huge windows were drawn aside, letting the dim light of a winter afternoon inside.  
  
On a chair next to a table sat a tall, aristocratic man. Everything from the shiny platinum hair and delicate hands to the heavy, well-tailored black robes and long cane told that this man was to be respected. In front of him lay a book which he was reading attentively, and next to it resided a bottle of wine and two glasses, one of which was half full of wine.  
  
The house-elf bowed briefly to the man. "Master Lucius, the guest has arrived," the little creature informed the wizard.  
  
Malfoy raised his eyes from the book. "Very well," he said. "Tell Olivia to come here, Thoward." The house-elf bowed again briefly and disappeared with a tiny *pop*.  
  
The blonde wizard rose from his seat and walked towards the caretaker. "Good evening, Mr. Filch," he greeted. "And welcome to Malfoy Manor."  
  
"Good evening, Lord Malfoy," he replied, feeling a bit uneasy in front of the man. He let his eyes wander around the room. The silver and gold-framed portraits, shiny chandeliers, luxurious rugs and expensive furniture all told of great wealth and ancient family-line, just like the rest of the Manor had done.  
  
"My daughter will be here shortly," Mr. Malfoy continued. "I'm sorry that my husband doesn't accompany us, but he is... a bit ill." The silver eyes searched his gaze, and as he nodded in understanding - of course Remus Malfoy was ill, it was the day before full moon after all - the wizard nodded towards the table. "Would you like a glass of wine?"  
  
"No, thanks," Argus replied. The only liquor he liked was Firewhiskey, and he had to keep his mind clear anyway. It'd been ages since he'd last performed the test, so he wanted to hold onto his senses. If he messed up, even the slightest, Malfoy would for sure never forgive him. And Lucius Malfoy, even though loyal to the Light, was not a man you'd want to be on the wrong side of.  
  
After about a minute the large mirror on the wall turned oddly misty. A moment later, a young girl stepped out from it. The mirror turned back normal behind her.  
  
The girl had light brown hair and grey eyes, and she was dressed in a dark green dress. "You called, Father?" she asked, glancing warily sideways at the Squib.  
  
"Yes, I did," Mr. Malfoy said. "Olivia, this is Argus Filch. He's come to make the test to verify whether you are indeed a Ciddle."  
  
"Oh!" She turned towards him, gave him a wary nod and said, "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Filch."  
  
"My pleasure, Miss Malfoy," he grumbled in response. He then turned again towards the wizard and asked, "Do you have any metal with natural magic level here? I have my own tools, of course, but they can only tell whether somebody's a Ciddle or not. If you want to know right away what area of magic she can use wand magic on, I need some magical metal, preferably silver."  
  
"Well, silver we most certainly have not," Mr. Malfoy said calmly. "All silver objects were transferred to one of my estates in France when I married my husband. If Olivia doesn't have any silver jewellery with her?" he then added, glancing questioningly at the girl.  
  
She hesitated for a moment, then took away her necklace. "Could this do?" she asked shyly, offering it to him.  
  
Argus nodded and took the silver chain with a little pendant. "It'll do fine. Don't worry," he added as he saw the girl's still wary gaze. "Your necklace won't be harmed the slightest."  
  
The girl nodded, looking still rather nervous. She stood on her place, waiting for him to do something.  
  
Argus kept the silver in his hand, closed his eyes, and concentrated. He called for the only magic that he had an access for, channelling it to the tiny silver object. As he felt enough power was gathered there, he opened his eyes. "Can you turn the lights off?" he asked the wizard, who was following his doings at least as curiously as the girl. "We can't see the results otherwise."  
  
The blonde man nodded and drew his wand. Then, with an almost lazy wave of the wand, he closed the curtains and unlit most of the candles around the room. The room became dim, not dark enough to prevent them seeing, but enough for the results to be seen.  
  
"Olivia Malfoy," Argus grumbled, then reached out to touch the girl with the silver object. As soon as he did this, a little cloud of twinkling lights lit around her. Olivia gasped and looked at them, her eyes wide with surprise.  
  
"What does that mean?" the Master of the House asked, eyeing the magical lights curiously.  
  
"She is indeed a Ciddle," the Squib replied. "On a wizard, Muggle or Squib, there'd be no reaction." He examined the sparkling lights for a moment, then added, "Her wand magic is strictly limited to a couple of Divination spells. I take it you're going to get her a wand?"  
  
Mr. Malfoy nodded, at the same time opening the curtains and lighting the candles again with a mere flick of his wand."We'll travel to Paris the next week."  
  
Argus snorted inwardly. He knew very little about Ciddle wands; only that they were different from normal wizarding wands and cost several times as much. Whatever they were like, it fit into the picture that Malfoy would get one from Paris. The best wand shop for Ciddle wands was there, true, but it was also the most expensive one.  
  
Well, it wasn't his problem where they wanted to waste their Galleons to.  
  
"After you reach the peak of your magical powers, there might be surging, if you get too distressed," he told the girl, although he assumed she already knew that much. "It's impossible to tell exactly when you'll reach the peak, but I can say it'll be relatively soon; the lights were already very bright."  
  
"Very well," the girl said, nodding. She then turned towards her adoptive father and asked, "May I go to my laboratory now?"  
  
"Of course, little one," the Slytherin replied, and, with a dismissive wave of his hand, the girl left the room.  
  
This time, the Master of the Manor himself walked him to the front door. They didn't talk a lot; only a couple of times Malfoy would say something about one of the objects surrounding them, or answer to a comment made by one of the portraits. Once they spotted a ghost in the other end of the corridor, but it retreated almost immediately.  
  
At last, they got to the main doors of the Manor. Argus bade a polite goodbye, receiving the same in return. He then turned around, preparing to leave.  
  
He was, however, stopped by Malfoy's smooth voice saying, "Oh, and Mr. Filch?" When he turned around, Mr. Malfoy handed out a heavy money bag. "Take this."  
  
"I get my payment from the Ministry, Mr. Malfoy," he tried to protest, but the blonde man interrupted him by a wave of his hand.  
  
"Which isn't very big, I'm aware," he said smoothly. "A bit more surely doesn't do any harm. This bag contains twenty-five Galleons, in Sickles. That money brings no good in my household."  
  
Argus nodded slowly, understanding. "Very well, then," he said, putting the bag into the pocket of his cloak.  
  
"And one other thing." Malfoy looked thoughtful for a moment, then again raised his eyes to the caretaker. "I know this might be a lot to ask for, but... You surely have lots of first-hand experience as of how to live in the magical world without the ability to perform spells. Is it possible that you'd also later give Olivia some advice, should she need any help? For good payment, of course," the man added, before the whole message had even sunk in to the Squib's mind.  
  
Argus pondered this for a moment. He normally avoided thinking about his disability of using magic; it was a topic too painful and humiliating for him to dwell on. But something in the girl... Especially in the longing expression on her face when the Malfoy had easily used those spells she'd never master herself... Reminded him of his own confusion and desire for magic when he'd been young.  
  
Slowly, he nodded. "Just owl me if she requires help," he said.  
  
Malfoy nodded back to him. "Thank you," the blonde man said smoothly. "The coach will take you back to Hogwarts. Farewell, Mr. Filch."  
  
Argus nodded curtly, said, "Goodbye, Lord Malfoy," then turned and made his way to the coach.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The door was quietly opened. The three people in the room raised their eyes to see the incomers. Everyone's lips quirked into a warm smile as they saw the two canines slipping in. The golden wolf looked unsurprisingly a bit weary, but the huge black dog waggled his tail happily, watching the people with a cheerful glint in his sapphire eyes.  
  
"Good evening, my friends," Lucius said with a slight smile. "We were already wondering where you were." Padfoot gave him an innocent glance, waggling his tail even more. Moony, however, merely huffed quietly before padding to his side and climbing to his lap. Then he tugged Lucius's arm with his muzzle until it was in a good position for him to rest his head on it. Lucius merely chuckled at his husband's affectionate gesture, then started petting his head.  
  
Padfoot gave Severus a pleading, puppy eyed gaze. The Slytherin, however, shook his head with a slight smirk. "Sorry, but no," Severus said. "Remus is Moony only once a month. If I allow you to lie in my lap now, however, I'll have you as my burden for the rest of my life."  
  
Olivia chuckled at both the comment and the dog-glare Padfoot gave his husband. She'd already been informed that even though Remus had had his Wolfsbane, both the actual transformation and the time he spent as a wolf were easier to his mind when he had another part-human canine around. That was why the Blacks spent the night of the full moon in the Manor whenever possible.  
  
She turned back to the Potions book she'd been reading. Severus was answering all her questions, and he even knew the few points Lucius hadn't been able to tell her before she'd read the book. Olivia didn't wonder why he was mentioned the best Potions Master in Britain, nor did she question the justification of his title as the Lead Potions Master.  
  
Padfoot curled in front of the fireplace, enjoying the warmth of the magical flames. Severus gave his husband an amused glance, then continued advising Olivia. For a moment, they all just sat on their places, only the crackling of the fire and the quiet conversation between Olivia and Severus.  
  
Suddenly, Lucius's voice broke the silence. "I found it!" he announced, holding up the little book in the one of his hands that hadn't been petting the wolf.  
  
"What 'it' is it that you found?" Severus asked curiously. Olivia was also watching him, as well as Padfoot, who'd raised his head from where it had been lying on his paws. Moony was the only one who didn't react to his husband's words. As long as his head was petted, he was too exhausted from the transformation to mind anything else.  
  
"The proof that Olivia isn't a Muggleborn," Lucius announced triumphantly.  
  
Now even Moony locked his eyes at the blonde Slytherin, the question evident in the yellow-golden eyes. Severus's eyes widened, Olivia gasped in surprise, and Padfoot's jaw practically dropped to the floor.  
  
"What is that book?" Severus asked then, suspicious. "And what's the proof?"  
  
"This is my old journal," Lucius said, raising the book a bit to show it to the others. "Severus, do you remember Marcus Darkholm?"  
  
"Olivia's father?" Severus frowned thoughtfully. After a moment he snapped his fingers. "Of course! He was a Death Eater for some time, wasn't he? And when he failed, Voldemort decided to use him as a warning example."  
  
"Right." Lucius gestured towards the book. "Voldemort was in his peak around those times. So, instead of simply killing or tormenting Darkholm, he decided to use him even more on his advantage." He made a slight pause, then continued, "Using some Dark ritual, he drained the unfortunate man of his powers. Darkholm then fled to the Muggle world, where he later married Maria Magpie."  
  
"Maria Magpie?" Severus echoed. "But - I've seen that name before in some document."  
  
"You probably have," Lucius said, and smirked slightly. "After all, you've gone through about all the special registries of the Ministry. She's a Squib. So, the riddle is solved. Olivia's father wasn't a Muggle - he was a Pureblood, although drained one."  
  
"So why did he hate my magic so much?" Olivia asked, sounding a bit uncertain. "Shouldn't he be happy that I wasn't a Squib? I'd think that Purebloods hold that to high value."  
  
"Probably he was just jealous," Lucius said, smiling soothingly at her. "He didn't want to be reminded of what he'd lost." Olivia nodded slowly, looking still uncertain. Padfoot licked her hand, then barked twice, seemingly satisfied with what he'd heard. Moony, also, started to relax a bit again.  
  
Severus, however, didn't seem to buy this explanation. "You forget one thing about Darkholm, Lucius." He raised an eyebrow and continued, "The ritual didn't only drain his powers... It also made sure that any child of his would be a Squib."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"I think it'd be better if you took Calming Potion, Olivia," Lucius said. "There are more people at Rue du Reves than in Diagon Alley, the main reason being that simply it is a bigger place. And even in Diagon Alley you needed the potion when there were more people than usual, remember?"  
  
"You may be right," Olivia replied with the same casual tone. "Shall I brew a batch of it, then?"  
  
"Do that," her blonde guardian said, nodding. "The one you made for the last match of the Magpies' worked very well. You only need a small vial, though."  
  
"I'll do that," she said, and smiled happily. "When will we go, then?"  
  
"Well, I booked the Portkey for tenth," Lucius said. "It is, what, two days after tomorrow?"  
  
"So I'd better get packing once I've done the potion, right?" Olivia said with a slight smile. She was absolutely thrilled at the thought of having a wand of her own. Lucius smiled at her enthusiasm and was just about to say something, when the door opened.  
  
To the great surprise of them both, Remus walked in. He looked very pale and weary, but he was awake. That was the fact that confused them the most - the werewolf usually spent the day after the full moon drifting into slight sleep every now and then. He couldn't stay awake for more than half an hour, and he definitely wasn't in a condition to walk around the Manor. Usually Lucius forced him to stay in bed for the whole day after the transformation.  
  
"What are you doing here, Remus?" the blonde man asked, surprised. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"No, nothing is wrong," Remus said, then yawned slightly. "I just didn't want to stay in bed while you're here making evil plans to get my head."  
  
Lucius chuckled. "That's not true," he said, smiling teasingly at his lover. "I'm probably getting rid of my own head here. I am, after all, going to take you two to Paris for shopping--a deed against all my better judgement, I must say."  
  
"Are you implying that we shouldn't go shopping, then?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow. "You'd let your beloved husband and precious daughter freeze to death due to the lack of proper clothing?"  
  
"Or to boredom due to the lack of necessary literature?" Olivia added with the same serious tone.  
  
"Or to starvation due to the lack of chocolate?" Remus dead-panned, watching him with wide amber eyes. "And while we are in the topic, where the hell is all chocolate in this house? You'd think that a Manor of this size would have some chocolate somewhere..."  
  
"I left a respectable amount on the nightstand as I left," Lucius said, raising an eyebrow to his husband in turn. "Are you telling me that you already ate that all?"  
  
Remus shrugged. "I was hungry," he said. Then he gave him the puppy eyes and added, "Besides, you know it helps my recovery after the full moon. Keeps the depression away and all."  
  
Lucius sighed. He couldn't deny it, and Remus knew that. The chocolate was truly the only thing that would keep Remus from hating himself after the full moon. Unfortunately, it only worked for about half an hour at time, and after a few "doses" it lost its effect. "Ask the house-elves for some," he advised. "They know better than to let the stocks run low around the full moon. And yes, you are going to get to shop." Then he smirked slightly. "Although the Blacks are coming as well. I hope that's not a problem?"  
  
"It depends," Remus said lightly. "It's not, if Severus doesn't drag Olivia into Potions stores for too long to me to take her to get some new robes."  
  
Lucius rolled his eyes. "We're going to stay for ten days," he reminded him patiently. "You'll have time to run through all the shops in Rue du Réves three times even if Severus and I took her to some Apothecary."  
  
"Good," Remus said, flashing a grin to Olivia and receiving the same in return, although the girl's grin was a bit shy. Then the werewolf called for a house-elf, requesting for his chocolate, which he got almost immediately. Opening the first box of Hnoneydukes' best quality chocolate, he sat on the couch opposite to the other two Malfoys, listening quietly to their conversation about the trip.  
  
After some time, Lucius and Olivia noticed that Remus had again drifted to sleep. Chuckling slightly, the Lord of Malfoy conjured a blanket, pulling it gently over his lycanthropic lover. Finishing his conversation with Olivia he sat next to Remus, beginning to pet the werewolf's hair while he himself read yet another Potions book.  
  
Olivia smiled warmly at her two parents. Seeing them like this, happy, loving, and carefree, always made her feel warm and safe.  
  
She left the sitting room, leaving the two men alone.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
A long, thin witch greeted them as they entered the wand store. Her cool, grey gaze flew over them, examining them one at a time. Her eyes stopped at Olivia, and a small, strict smile curled the corners of her lips.  
  
"Ah, a Ciddle," she said, surprisingly in English. "It's really been a long time since I last had one of your kind in my store. Please, gentlemen, young lady, follow me."  
  
They followed her through rows of high, dusty shelves, which reminded the wizards of Ollivander's store. Olivia, however, had only seen Ollivander's from the outside, and thus saw nothing familiar in the store.  
  
They were led to the far end of the shop. The shelves were now green instead of brown. The wand boxes were also slightly different there, but there were no less of them In fact, it looked like there were more of these different wands than the usual ones.  
  
"Here is my stock of Ciddle wands," the witch explained. "They are all very specialised, that's why there are so many of them here. In general, however, it's a lot easier to find the right wand for a Ciddle than for anyone else, since their talents are usually known." She turned towards Olivia. "So, young lady, what kind of magic you can do?"  
  
Olivia took a cautious step backwards. She didn't seem to like the witch. "The man who tested me, Argus Filch, said that I can only do Divination wand magic."  
  
"Oh!" the witch said. "Divination, indeed. Do you have the talent of Seeing?" As Olivia nodded, she continued, "That's good. Divination is one of the rarer talents for a Ciddle, you know. Their kind's magic is usually more to the practical spells, charms and the like." As she spoke, she started to take the boxes from the shelves in seemingly random order.  
  
At last she seemed to be satisfied with the boxes she'd taken. Opening the first one, she took out a thick wooden wand, covered with shapes of some twines. "A thick rowan wand. Its core is made of a dragon scale, a very powerful wand for true Seers." She glanced sideways to Severus, who merely snorted, determinedly ignoring her meaningful glance.  
  
Olivia took the offered wand. It was taken away from her about the same moment, however. The shopkeeper smiled strictly, then opened a new box. "Pure porcelain, no core," she introduced the next wand, which was decorated with something that resembled Chinese writing. "Can manage complex spells, but nothing too powerful."  
  
Olivia took the wand. There was no reaction, and the witch snatched it away from her hand almost immediately. "No, no. Try this. Ivory, water core. Truly rare. If it drains, any ordinary wizard or witch should be capable of filling it again." Olivia grasped on the wand, but again it was taken back from her at the same second.  
  
The witch frowned, searching the selected boxes with narrowed eyes. "Well, try this one," she said then, taking from the box and handing out a thin, shiny silver wand. "Silver with a unicorn hair. Pure and beautiful, although," she glanced watchfully at Remus before continuing, "can be dangerous if misused. Both materials are originally great for counterspells and -curses, fighting the Dark Arts in general, but when combined, they make an almost neutral wand. Therefore, this is a great tool for Divination spells."  
  
Olivia nodded and took the offered wand. As soon as she grasped on it, it shot sparkling purple stars around her. She gasped, then smiled broadly.  
  
"I think we've found the right one," the old witch said with a dry tone. "Seventy-eight Galleons, please."  
  
Lucius paid, nodded his thanks to the witch, and began leading his group out of the store.  
  
Olivia held her new wand, examining every inch of it. It wasn't decorated like some wands, instead, its surface was smooth and unmarked. She watched it closely, a little smile on her lips. "It's beautiful," she said then. Then she scowled and added, "But that witch was a bitch." She blushed as she noticed what she'd said, clapping a hand on her mouth.  
  
Remus tsked. "Watch your tongue, young lady," he said warningly. "And what do you have against the shopkeeper? I sensed nothing wrong with her."  
  
"Nor did I," Lucius said, and Sirius nodded in agreement.  
  
"Well, I did," Severus said dryly, stepping on Olivia's side. "There was something truly wrong with her. I swear she was planning something."  
  
"And what would that be?" Sirius asked, rolling his eyes at his husband's words. "And why didn't anybody else sense anything wrong in her - not even Remus? Or is this again some of your Seeing stuff?"  
  
Severus glared at him sharply. "That 'my Seeing stuff,' like you so kindly put it, has saved more lives more times than I really care to count. Without it you wouldn't be walking there, you'd be in your grave!"  
  
Sirius flung his arms up in exasperation. "Fine, fine," he grumbled. "It can be really useful, I admit that. It indeed has saved my life more than once. But this isn't about saving lives, this is about you hating a woman for no other reason than some kind of 'sixth sense!'"  
  
"What about the sense of balance?" Severus asked smoothly. "Or the sense of motion, the muscle sense, all those? Or do you continue numbering from seven?"  
  
"Put a lid on it, you two," Remus sighed, rolling his eyes towards the sky. "It's moments like this I wonder how you two ever got together!"  
  
"I think it's rather obvious," Lucius said dryly, although a little smile marked his lips. "They're always fighting like an old couple. They probably just felt it was natural to become a new couple for a while before continuing their usual way."  
  
Olivia giggled, and Remus chuckled. The two dark-haired wizards both gave Lucius an annoyed glare. They shut up, however.  
  
"Severus? Why did she look at you when she showed the first wand?" Olivia asked then, eyeing curiously the raven-haired Slytherin.  
  
Severus snorted again, then took his wand from the bag on his belt. "Twelve inches, rowan, unicorn hair core," he introduced it. "I don't want to even think about how she knew about it. But, rowan is almost the purest of the wand trees, and the most magical one. I think that silver is about the same of metals as rowan is of trees. Therefore, this is the nearest to your wand a normal wizard could get."  
  
"Rowan? And unicorn hair?" Lucius asked, sounding amused. "How, pray tell, you ever were able to cast anything Darker than a tickling curse?"  
  
Severus glared at the blonde man again. "As you know very well, I never was one for foolish wand waving," he said sulkingly. "And rowan, although a holy tree in many countries, is not 'good' in the same sense as a unicorn hair. Pure it is, true, and can very well fight the Dark, but not good, rather neutral. In the ancient times it was often used for the Darkest blood magic as well as Light spells. Like silver, it outbalances the goodness of the unicorn hair core - only neutral magic can be used to real Divination."  
  
"That sounds interesting," Olivia said, smiling slightly. "What about you? What are your wands?" she asked then, watching the three other men attentively.  
  
Sirius slipped his wand into sight. "Willow, nine inches, dragon heart string," he said cheerfully. "Good at everything, very good in nothing. Rather like myself," he finished with a grin.  
  
"Ebony, ten inches, a dragon scale," Lucius introduced his own with a slight smirk. "Powerful, fierce, impatient; extremely good in the Dark Arts. Hard to control, is not to be handled carelessly. And no more comments about that," he added, with a warning glance to both Blacks. Sirius and Severus, however, merely smirked meaningfully.  
  
Remus hesitated for a moment. Then he took his own wand into sight and said softly, "Oak, seven inches, a werewolf hair." He was quiet for a moment, then continued, "Very trustable, steady, but has a darker side to it. Unable to cast any healing charms, or other too Light spells. Cannot be controlled by any other than a Lycanthrope." He shivered slightly, and Lucius placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
  
"So, yours was good for Divination, right?" Olivia asked from Severus, trying to break the sudden silence that had fallen upon the group. "And it was neutral?"  
  
Severus nodded. "Right. Unicorn hair is the Lightest core ever, but as rowan is a highly neutralizing material, just like silver, the wand in whole is neutral. Capable of both Light and Dark spells, but not very powerful in either. Light, airy wand in general, good in details, not really powerful but more accurate. Fine and even, a balancing tool, although can be capricious at times. And no comments about that, either," he added, glancing sharply at his grinning husband.  
  
"Sounds like the wand really chooses the wizard, then," Olivia said with a slight smile. Then she glanced around her. "Well, what now? Where are we going next?"  
  
"I don't know about those three," Remus said, eyeing the three other men, "but I think you really need a wand bag." With a slight grin to his husband and the Blacks he grasped on Olivia's wand-free hand and pulled her towards the nearby store that sold all textiles.  
  
After half an hour of searching, they'd found a proper wand bag, made of the traditional forest-green velvet with silver-coloured strings for tying it to the belt. They'd also found nice new gloves for them both, a cherry-silver flurry scarf that Olivia wanted just to show her belonging to partly both, partly neither of her fathers' Houses, as well as many other things. Olivia went over to look at some hair bands while Remus went to pay for their purchases.  
  
Remus gave a pile of coins - in Galleons, of course - to the shopkeeper and waited as he counted the money. Meanwhile, he himself absent-mindedly added up the prices of the purchases. Suddenly, he noticed that the change would be four Sickles.  
  
And he had no gloves on.  
  
The werewolf took a desperate glance around him, trying to see something that'd cost four Sickles. He found, however, nothing. The shopkeeper was already counting the money, and would soon hand him the change. He could either take them, burn his hand, and turn out to be a werewolf, or refuse touching them, thus also being discovered as a lycanthrope. Lucius, who'd usually would have distracted the shopkeeper, was nowhere to be seen.  
  
Suddenly, Olivia appeared on his side. She eyed him warily, looked at the purchases and then the shopkeeper who was counting the money, and seemed to realize his problem.  
  
"Hey, Dad," she said happily, loudly enough to be heard by most of the nearby customers. "May I have your change? I'd like to buy some sweets, and I have nothing but Galleons and a couple of lonely Knuts."  
  
"Of course, Olivia," he replied, trying to hide his relief. He motioned the shopkeeper to give the money to the girl, and the man did so, obviously not thinking it was anything unusual. The other people around just smiled at them, not suspecting anything more special than an everyday conversation between a parent and a child.  
  
Remus took the stuff and left the shop, Olivia right on his heels. Once they were outside, Remus at last allowed himself to sigh in relief. "Thank you, Olivia," he said. "You really saved me in there."  
  
"What would a girl not do for her parent?" Olivia replied, smiling. Then she added with a slight grin, "Besides, now I have an excuse to buy even more chocolate!"  
  
Remus chuckled, shook his head, and then glanced around him. "Lucius is over there," he said, pointing at the tall man further along the street. Lucius was standing in front of a store, leaning on his cane and looking bored. "Looks like he's waiting for Sirius and Severus."  
  
They soon reached the blonde man's side. He turned towards them, and smiled. "The Blacks went inside," he said, motioning towards the shop. "Apparently they sell some joke stuff in there and Sirius wanted to have a look at it. Severus went along to make sure he won't blow up the whole store or something."  
  
Olivia chuckled slightly. Then she took a hasty step backwards as a busy-looking wizard passed them. The wizards turned to glance at her, and Olivia flinched slightly despite the Calming Potion in her veins. Remus reached out his hand to touch her wrist soothingly, not remembering the silver bracelet she was wearing.  
  
...And drew his hand back. Two screams were heard, one of fear, one of pain.  
  
Olivia stared at Remus's hand, shocked. It had burned black to the wrist. The spot of skin on his fingers where he had originally touched the bracelet looked like they had melted.  
  
Other people looked at them. At first they only stared. Then one woman screamed, [Werewolf! He's a werewolf!]  
  
A total panic began among the people. Most of them were running away, but some of them walked nearer. Their leader seemed to be an old man with an abnormally long nose and a rodent-like, thin face. Remus didn't even notice them. He only stood there, holding his wrist with his other hand, tears of pain forming in the corners of his closed eyes. Before the men got nearer, Lucius calmly stepped between them and his husband.  
  
He looked at the men with cold silver eyes. [What do you think you're doing?] he asked, his voice sharp and as warm as the North Pole.  
  
[Silver burns him!] screamed the leader of the group. [He's a werewolf!]  
  
Lucius raised an eyebrow and gave them one of the best Glares of Death of the Malfoy family. Most of the men began to look very uncertain, but some of them, including the leading man, stayed still. [Yes, he is,] Lucius said at last, when they didn't seem to be going to leave. [What about it?]  
  
The leader looked surprised by his response. Obviously he hadn't expected to get a straight answer. [He - he can't possibly go around...] he tried to explain his point to Lucius.  
  
[And why on the Earth couldn't he?] Lucius asked. He was getting furious. He stepped forward, staring right into the eyes of the stubborn man. [Listen to me now. All of you.  
  
[This is Remus Malfoy. Yes, he happens to be a werewolf, but that is definitely not all of him. He's the most caring, beautiful, friendly, clever and talented person in the whole world. He's kind and nice--everything that you obviously aren't. He's a wonderful father, an adorable husband, a loyal friend and an understanding teacher. He has forgotten more about magic than you will ever learn. He was one of the main people in bringing down Lord Voldemort. He's ready to sacrifice his own life for those he loves. And you--you old, filthy rat--can't stand him around you because he happens to be allergic to silver and gets ill once a month?] He glared the man even more furiously than before, if that was even possible. [Go away. Go away before I get rid of you myself. You disgust me.]  
  
At the begining the men had looked pretty uncertain about what to do. When Lucius got to the point about Voldemort, they all went very pale. Few of them turned around and ran away. Some of them stayed--but even they fled when Lucius told them to leave.  
  
Lucius looked after the running men, looking satisfied. Then he turned around towards his husband, and his expression turned very worried. "How are you feeling, love?" he asked kindly, placing his hands on the shorter man's shoulders. "Is there any way silver injuries can be healed by spells?"  
  
Remus shook his head, biting his lower lip. "Other than replacing the skin, only time can heal them," he replied. "And I feel awful. But," he said then, with a little, dry smile forming on his lips, "at least I've now learned to beware of where I put my hands."  
  
Olivia was still deathly pale. "It was my fault," she whispered. "I should have known. It was all my fault." She stared at the thin bracelet in his wrist like it had been a snake twining around her arm. "I--I'm so sorry, Dad..."  
  
"No need to be." The werewolf smiled to the girl. "It was absolutely my fault. Jewellery is meant to be worn, Olivia. I knew that you had a silver bracelet--I saw you wearing it in the morning--and I still touched it. I should have known better."  
  
"What about if we decide that no one's guilty of this?" Lucius suggested. "You're alive, Remus, love, aren't you? And not going to die right now? Because if it is so, then everything is all right."  
  
Remus nodded, smiling slightly. Then his smile faded away. "Thank you," he said with a low voice. "Thank you for standing up for me."  
  
Lucius wrapped his arms around the werewolf's shoulders and pressed his face against the golden brown hair. "Anything for you, love," he murmured to the other man's ear. "You know that. I'd do anything for you."  
  
"What was it?" asked a voice behind them. Severus and Sirius stepped out of the store, looking shocked. "There was so much noise. Did Death Eaters attack or what?"  
  
"Nothing that simple," Lucius said darkly, still holding Remus against his chest. "Remus burned his hand on Olivia's bracelet, causing a lynch mob gather around us."  
  
Sirius cursed aloud. "I think we'd better get the Hell away from here, then," he said, and Severus nodded in agreement.  
  
Remus looked miserable. "I'm sorry for spoiling your trip," he said, not to anyone in particular. "If I had kept my ware, we could still stay here."  
  
"It's not your fault," Lucius said. "The only ones responsible for it are those stupid people with all their prejudical crap."  
  
"It is my fault," Remus said firmly. "Don't even try and give me that bull shit. We all know that if I weren't a Lycanthrope, nobody would say a word about us being here. You can't tell me this time that it's nothing. I know damn well that it does matter a lot."  
  
Lucius frowned. It was four days from the full moon already. Remus's post-moon depression usually didn't continue this long, otherwise they wouldn't have even considered the trip. But now it looked like Remus couldn't get over the seemingly compulsory phase of self-loathing he went over every month despite all the reassuring they gave him.  
  
Lucius couldn't help but wonder whether it had something to do with the incident at the Narcairs the few days before the full moon. They still hadn't told Olivia anything, since Lucius wanted to wait until Remus was normal again and could sensibly answer all the questions Olivia was bound to have.  
  
But now it looked like Remus wouldn't get normal.  
  
He honestly didn't know what to do.  
  
Sirius broke the pressuring silence. "Grasp on this," he said, handing out a stone he'd picked from the ground and charmed. "It'll get us to our hotel room."  
  
"An unauthorised Portkey?" Lucius said, raising an eyebrow. "You're lucky that you aren't an Auror anymore, you'd have to arrest yourself."  
  
"Shut up," the Animagus sighed, rolling his eyes. "It'll activate in ten seconds, so, hurry!"  
  
They all reached out a hand to touch the stone. Only a couple of seconds after the last one, Lucius, had laid his hand on it, they all felt a sharp tug behind their navels. After a second, they landed on the floor of a hotel room.  
  
Severus of course managed to end on his feet, but the others, even Lucius, stumbled and fell down. As they got back on their feet, Sirius watched around emotionlessly. "Better get packing, then," he said smoothly.  
  
"You're not leaving because of me," Remus argued, but Severus cut him off before he could say anything else.  
  
"I've always thought you're a clever man, Remus," the dark-haired Slytherin snapped. "Don't you dare to prove me wrong now and behave like a fool. Do you honestly think we could send you home and stay here ourselves?"  
  
"He's right," Sirius said heatedly. "There's no way you could make us stay."  
  
"And I can't," Lucius pointed out smoothly. "I drew all the attention to myself as those imbeciles tried to get to you."  
  
"But Olivia," Remus still tried to disagree. "She should stay. And Sirius and Severus could take care of her--"  
  
Olivia cut him off by calmly taking the vial containing the Calming Potion from her belt. Without even blinking she brought her hand up, then tossed the vial to he floor, shattering it to tiny pieces. "You still want me to stay?" she asked smoothly, eyeing her Dad innocently.  
  
For a moment, they all just stared at her. Then, slowly, Sirius's lips quirked into a smile. "She truly is a Malfoy, I see," he said with a chuckle. Severus smirked, and nodded.  
  
Remus sighed in defeat. "Fine," he grumbled. "We'll leave."  
  
And with that, the conversation ended.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The whole Malfoy family was once again in the sitting room of the Malfoy Manor. With them were the Blacks and Harry. Harry and Draco had been invited right after the travellers had got back home, and they'd already heard the whole story. Remus was, fortunately, much less depressed now--much thanks to the slightly varied Pepper-Up Potion Olivia'd slipped to his wine at meal while he'd been watching Lucius and Severus in case of any similar trick.  
  
Now, Olivia's wand was the topic of the conversation. Harry and Draco had in turn studied it, hearing of the special features of the wand. They both found it highly amusing that Severus's and Olivia's wands were practically the same, as well as the surprising core of his wand - although they stopped teasing the Lead Potions Master right after Padfoot had not-so-gently snipped them both on leg.  
  
"You should try it," Lucius said now, and Olivia nodded slowly.  
  
"But how do we know what spells she's capable of doing?" Draco asked curiously.  
  
"She already knows them," Severus explained. After bringing the details to his mind, he began quickly speaking, "Every magical being has a natural awareness of their skills, which they become conscious about the same time as they receive their first means to do conscious magic. The level of this awareness, however, is strictly limited, and it's average is tied to the amount of magic they're able to do. Thus any normal wizards and witches only know that there indeed is some capablity for magical spells in them, while Ciddles, being far more limited, have a lot higher level of awareness for those few spells and thus know them all by themselves."  
  
Sirius and, after a moment of thinking, Remus and Lucius nodded understandingly. Draco and Harry, however, merely stared at him with a look of uncomprehension on their faces.  
  
"Umm... could we get that again, please?" Harry asked. "And a bit slower this time."  
  
Severus sighed and rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. Then he said, this time slower, "We have a lot to learn, so we can't know it all in the beginning. Olivia, however, has only a few spells to learn. Therefore, she knows them already."  
  
"So..." Draco looked thoughtful. "Everyone can know only something in birth. We know a little of many spells, while Olivia knows a couple of spells completely. Right?"  
  
"Exactly." Severus grinned. "So, Olivia, in theory you should be able to do the spells just by thinking about them."  
  
Olivia nodded, then closed her eyes. She was quiet for a moment, looking like she were listening to something. Then she opened her eyes again and looked around for a moment. She spotted a portrait of a young witch on the wall and pointed at it. "Revealo Memorio," she murmured.  
  
Immediately, the face of another young witch appeared in a cloud of purplish dust. As she waved her wand again, it disappeared.  
  
"That spells tells whose memories are attached to some item," she told the others. "And I've got a vision by touching that portrait. It was indeed one of that witch."  
  
"You have?" Lucius asked, raising his eyebrows. "Why haven't you told us about that?"  
  
"Well..." She blushed slightly. "It was kind of a test, actually." She glanced warily at Severus, who nodded encouragingly. She took a deep breath and said, "I got the vision after testing the first succesfull bath of the Brew of Dreams Severus helped me make."  
  
It was quiet for a moment.  
  
Then, Lucius said, "It's commonly thought that you have to have gotten through at least the three first Potions Master tests before even attempting the potion."  
  
"Really?" Olivia asked. "Must explain why I didn't manage it without help, then."  
  
"Stop worrying, Lucius," Severus sighed, again rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. As he saw that Remus was going to say something, he raised his hand, silencing the werewolf. "You too, Remus. I swear I won't let her do anything even relatively dangerous. But you have to let her try and brew potions above her general level, otherwise she will never raise from that level!"  
  
Lucius looked a bit hurt by that, but then said, "Fine, then. But why didn't you ask me for help?" he asked then, turning to Olivia.  
  
"I didn't want to upset you," the girl said quietly. "You were already doing so much to make me happy. I didn't want to seem ungrateful." She looked a bit shy, then said, "Do you mind?"  
  
"Do I mind?" Lucius echoed, breaking into a smile. "Of course not! I'm only glad that you've got that ability back."  
  
"Dad?" Olivia asked then, turning towards Remus. To her great relief, the werewolf smiled also.  
  
"Whatever Lucius said, I agree to that," he said, grinning slightly. "I didn't marry him because of his good looks, you know." After a mock-glare from Lucius, disbelieving snort from Severus, and chuckles from the others, he added with a sheepish grin, "Okay...so not only because of his good looks."  
  
They all laughed. Then Sirius grinned at Olivia. "So, now you have potions, visions, and even a wand. You're as well off as Severus is!"  
  
"His spells are not limited," Harry pointed out. Sirius, however, merely laughed at that.  
  
"I doubt he's used anything but Accio and Lumos since the War ended," he informed his Godson. "Anything else he makes me do for him!"  
  
"Why should I bother myself with foolish wand waving?" the dark-haired Potions Master asked smoothly. "I have, after all, a loyal dog to jump on my every word. I don't have to do anything myself."  
  
Everyone but Sirius laughed. The Animagus grumbled his eyebrows and said, "You're lucky I love you, Severus. Otherwise, I would hex you to the moon!"  
  
"No, you wouldn't," the other man said smugly. "You are too bloody a Gryffindor to fight an unarmed man!"  
  
Sirius stared at him, noticing that his husband was indeed unarmend. Then he sighed, "You couldn't even play that you are actually capable of something other than poisoning pumpkin juice and having true dreams about yesterday, could you, Severus?"  
  
"Rather harsh from someone whose best accomplishments in those lines of magic are home-made alcohol and wet dreams," Severus replied, raising an amused eyebrow.  
  
"I don't comment on the topic of dreams," Remus said, struggling against laughter, "but I can tell you that he didn't even manage brewing beer. When it should have been ready, he tasted it and then threw the whole batch away, since it was so awful that I couldn't go to the room without fainting from the odor..."  
  
Sirius stomped out of the room, the waves of laughter following him all the way out of hearing distance.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
It was an afternoon in the Black Manor.  
  
Three people sat around a table. Draco was taking notes, while Harry and Olivia were happily discussing the topic of the wedding. It seemed natural that they were in that particular building, since, like Sirius had pointed out, both the Blacks' and the Malfoys' weddings had been planned there. They currently resided in one of the guest rooms, planning and snogging and snogging and planning.  
  
Olivia was also staying in the Black Manor. Her reasons, however, were different than just a "tradition." Remus had to work on the details of the werewolf center, and Lucius had got a project that recuired him to be in the Ministry building a lot. As they didn't want Olivia to feel lonely, it had been decided that she'd stay in the Black Manor with Draco and Harry, and Sirius and Severus when they weren't at work. This way, it was also easier for Severus to tutor her, and she could work on the potions all the time without having to move them from her lab to Severus's and the other way around.  
  
Olivia's hand was more often than not drawn to the long, narrow velvet bag on her belt. She was still excited about having her own wand, and although she had only used it a couple of times, she seemed to like knowing that she had it with her.  
  
Draco was now talking about the guest list. The longer it got, the more uneasy Olivia began to look like.  
  
"Um..." she finally started, looking slightly uneasy. "Will there really be that many people there?"  
  
"But of course!" Draco exclaimed. "It is, after all, a wedding of a Malfoy and..." His voice trailed off as he realized what the girl was going after. "Oh, Olivia," he sighed. "We didn't even think about it!"  
  
"It's okay," she replied, although she still looked a bit ashamed. "I just hope you won't be offended if I don't attend to the wedding."  
  
"Of course we won't be offended," Harry promised fullheartedly. "This just leaves us one problem. You can't skip the wedding without explanations, people might start suspecting something. You are Draco's adopted-sister after all, you are supposed to come."  
  
They all thought about this. To their great distress, none of them could think about a reason heavy enough for the girl not to come.  
  
"What's the problem?" Severus asked from the doorway, interrupting their thoughts.  
  
"We just realized that there'll be more people in the wedding than Olivia can handle," Harry sighed. "And we can't think of a reason for her to leave the ceremony unattended."  
  
Severus, however, surprised them all. "Oh, is that all?" he asked, sounding almost amused. "You should have asked me first. Olivia?"  
  
"Yes?" the girl asked, turning towards him, looking curious.  
  
"I'm sorry to tell you this," the Potions Master said with a carefree tone, "but your two first tests required for the Potions Mistress qualifiation have been scheluded on the date of your brother's wedding. We'll give you the more exact time once they've managed to set the date."  
  
At first, they stared at him. Then everyone broke into a wide smile.  
  
"Could you really do that?" Olivia asked, looking hopeful and doubtful at the same time.  
  
"Of course," the Slytherin said with a slight smirk. "I am, after all, the Lead Potions Master. I can interfere in the test scheludes if I wish. I usually leave it to those weighed by the duty, but this time I think I just might mess with them."  
  
"There's only one problem, though," Draco said then. "She hasn't been signed to the tests yet, and I happen to know that it takes time to get through. I doubt even you can change the scheludes so that she can take the tests before she's even accepted to the lists!"  
  
"She hasn't?" the Potions Master asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, it's really about time to do that, then. I'll just Floo Lucius and ask whether he's okay with it, although I doubt he'll mind the slightest. Then I can take Olivia to the Potions Master Headquarters."  
  
"You truly are the best, Severus," Draco said with a wide grin.  
  
"Of course I am," the raven-haired Slytherin replied smugly. "That's the reason your parents appointed me your Godfather."  
  
"Not to mention the fact that you're Mum's only brother and Dad's best friend," the blonde wizard pointed out dryly.  
  
"Well, I think that might have something to do with the matter, yes," Severus said, shrugging. Then he turned towards Olivia. "Well, what do you think?" he asked. "Are you up to a little trip to Headquarters?"  
  
"Well, let me think," the girl said, smiling a bit. "I'm now given the chance to sign to the tests in the company of the top Potions Master in Britain. This will no doubt gain me a couple of curious glances, as well as more forehand respect in the matter than even the Malfoy name could give." She played thoughtful for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "Yes, I think I could agree to that."  
  
Severus chuckled. "I thought so."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Ronald Weasley stared in annoyance the letter in front of him. He reread it for the fifth time, all the time cursing in his mind. The text hadn't changed, however.  
  
"Mr. Ronald Weasley,  
  
As an official of the Family Department of the Ministry of Magic, you are aware of the fact that all wizarding adoptions have to be confirmed within the five months following the original adoption.  
  
In order to find out whether there are any issuses preventing the confirmation of an adoption, your presence is required on a check visit. The child in concern is Olivia Malfoy, adopted by Remus and Lucius Malfoy on the twelveth of November last year. They'll receive an owl about this and will expect your visit after the middle of February.  
  
Yours,  
  
Lucas Martino  
  
Ministry of Magic  
  
Family Department  
  
Adoption Section"  
  
He cursed aloud and banged his fist against the table.  
  
This wasn't going to be any good.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Olivia stood in her room in the Black Manor. She was confused. A couple of times Lucius had looked like he'd been going to say something, but he'd always closed his mouth immediately or changed the topic. She'd caught the adults speaking in hushed voices several times, always stopping when they saw her. Oddly enough, Remus was almost never involved in these conversations, and sometimes the others even stopped when he came into sight, not she. Remus still seemed to know what was the topic, however. Whenever she questioned anyone of them about it, she got no answer at all or just a sad shake of head and a promise to tell her everything later.  
  
She'd accidentally overheard a conversation between Severus and Lucius. Lucius had mentioned the song she'd been singing the one night over at Narcairs'. That was the only clue she currently had--if she only could find out what it meant.  
  
Olivia walked to the small trunk containing her things. She had the book with her, since she'd wanted to examine one of the songs more closely. Now, however, the book would have some other use.  
  
She flicked her wand and murmured an incantation. The book glowed golden for a moment, satisfying her curiousity. She indeed could find out something with this book.  
  
Placing the book open on the bed and sitting next to it, Olivia took a little vial of the Brew of Dreams from her belt, where she had all the potions she might need. She downed the potion in one swallow, then reached out her hand to grasp on the book.  
  
At the same moment as she touched it, she entered a memory.  
  
*  
  
A/N: *hides* Don't kill me... If you kill me, you'll never know how it would end! ^_^  
  
Next Chapter: Olivia has memories about The Song, crystal angels, and potion accidents. Severus avoids Seeing, Weasley pays a visit and does a nasty trick, and a friend in need is a friend indeed. Plus, Draco finds a bad thing in a Muggle newspaper. Very bad.  
  
To know about the updates, please sign to the OLO yahoo!group. The address is in my profile. 


	14. The Weasley View

Disclaimer: I only own Olivia, Angelina, Audrey and the insane AU plot.  
  
Summary: A short chapter from Hermione's point of view. The Weasleys have seen Olivia even before Ron visits the Malfoys. But the circumstances were nothing like would be expected, and Angelina doesn't understand at all...  
  
**A/N**: This chapter was originally two (very short) chapters, which I wrote when I was just drabbling the first chapters of this story, a long long time ago... The chapters were named **The Quidditch Match** and **Angelina Doesn't Understand**, for reasons you'll understand once you read this. So, my apologies for not giving you what I promised... But, I've also already submitted chapter 15!  
  
::Does a happy dance:: Guess who's out of secondary school - with the highest average of the whole school? grins Yup, that's me!

()

..Our little one. .  
  
Chapter Fourteen  
  
The Weasley View 

()()()  
  
This part of the chapter is from Hermione Weasley's POV.  
  
This chapter is partly flashbacks and flashforths.

()()()  
  
Ron just told me that he's been appointed to make a check visit on the Malfoys before the adoption can be confirmed. I'm a bit worried - it's not that I like the Malfoys in particular, but I like their daughter. I hope Ron won't let our recent meetings with the Malfoys distract him. But, knowing my husband, he'll be extremely partial.  
  
Not the girl's fault, anyway.

()()()  
  
14th of December, 2003

()  
  
Somebody sits down to the empty seat on the other side of the girls. I turn to look at the newcomer, hoping that she'll distract the girls for a while - they're tugging at my sleeve all the time now.  
  
It's a young witch I've never seen before. She's wearing a green velvet robe that looks pretty expensive, as well as a thick winter cloak in a dark blue color. Her jewellery is pretty simple, however - just tiny emerald buttons for earrings, and a couple of silver hair pins keeping some shorter locks of hair from falling to her face. The rest of her hair is braided to a long, thick braid, complete with a green velvet bow in the end. Other than the blue cloak, she looks disturbingly Slytherin-y - but she also looks a lot too nice to be a Slytherin.  
  
"Who are you?" Angelina starts asking.  
  
I move forward to tell the children to leave her in peace, but she notices my gesture and shakes her head. 'Let them be,' she mouths to me. "I'm Olivia," she says aloud. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm Angelina Weasley, and this is my little sister," Angelina explains, excited. "Her name is Audrey. And that's our Mommy," she says, pointing at me. "Her name is Hermione."  
  
"Oh, you're Audrey, then?" the girl - Olivia? - asks from Audrey. Audrey nods, and she continues, "You're a bit bored here, are you?"  
  
"We are," Angelina replies. "Mommy and Daddy like looking Quidditch, but it's boring. I don't know who are our side, and daddy tries to tell me, but I don't care."  
  
Olivia smiles a bit. "Oh, that's funny," she says. "Would you like to play a game?"  
  
"Of course," Angelina smiles. "But we can't play here. There's no room here, besides on the pitch - and Dad goes mad if we play there."  
  
She smiles at me over the girls' heads. Then she returns her attention at them. "But this game doesn't need much space," she tells. "You see, it's this easy. I put my hand here," she tells, placing her hand in front of Audrey, "and now you, Angelina, you put your own hand on top of mine." Angelina does so, and Olivia continues, "Now Audrey puts her hand there - right, just like that - and I put my other hand on top of hers. Now Angelina, and now Audrey. Right."  
  
"And what now?" Angelina asks, excited.  
  
"Now, let's see whose hand is on the bottom. It's mine. So I take my hand from there, and put it on the top. Now you, Angelina, and you, Audrey. Right." She smiles at them. "Now, let's do it again - faster."  
  
They did it again, and again, and again, every time faster, until they mess up. Angelina and Audrey end up giggling and laughing. "We messed up!"Angelina exclaims. "We messed up!" Her eyes light up. "Let's do it again!" she suggests.  
  
They play for a long while. I sigh in relief and begin to follow the game at last. It's pretty hard to know what's going on when you have two little children to look after.  
  
When I look at them the next time, it has to be at least the hundredth time they stop their game. "Let's play again!" Angelina begs.  
  
"Again!" Audrey says as well. They're both grinning like crazy.  
  
"Oh, no," Olivia says, laughing at their enthusiasm. "I'm too tired - you see. I'm old. I'm ancient. And I'm very, very tired."  
  
"You aren't old!" Angelina exclaims, beginning to giggle again. "You aren't as old as Mommy! Mommy is old, and uncles are older! And grandad is the oldest," she adds.  
  
"Nice to hear," she smiles. "Why don't you and Audrey try playing it yourself?"  
  
They do so. Over their giggling and flinging, I mouth a 'Thank you' to Olivia.  
  
She leans carefully over them and whispers, "No, thank you. I haven't seen children for a while. It's nice to see some after such a long time."  
  
"Are you a fan? Why are you in Quidditch match?" I ask her. "I don't think you're really obsessed, like my husband. If you were, you wouldn't waste your time playing with children."  
  
"You're right," she replies. "I, in fact, couldn't care less about the match. I know that Magpies will win - there's no match for their Seeker. But, my soon-to-be brother-in-law is playing, and therefore my entire family is here." She shrugs. "Not that it would be very big - only me, my parents, the said future brother-in-law and his fiancé."  
  
"Oh, yes." I smile to her. "Who's he? And which position is he playing? I bet he's in Magpies. If he wasn't, you wouldn't tell me that they're going to win."  
  
"Yes, he is in Magpies," she says, smiling. Even though in general she looks like just a usual teenager, she has very pretty smile - it's very slow to show up, and then it only lasts for a second, fading away fast. But in that second she fits more than most of the people in hours of smiling. "And he's - oh, it seems like I have to go," she says, not finishing her sentence. "The game seems to be over. I promised my Father to go to them right after it." Then she stands up and walks away before I'm even able to ask her surname.  
  
I look at the pitch. She's right - the game is over. Harry stands there, keeping the Snitch in his hands. Of course Harry. He hasn't lost a single game in his whole professional career.  
  
"Oh, the Magpies won," Angelina says. "Too bad that Cannons didn't." Then she begins to smile again. "Can we go to ask for Harry Potter's autograph?" she asks eagerly.  
  
"I don't think -" I begin, but she interrupts me.  
  
"But I have every other Seeker's!" she exclaims. "Why I can't have this one? He's the best Seeker in Britain! He was England's Seeker last year! I have to have his!"  
  
"Maybe we should let her," I hear Ron saying. I turn around to face him. He looks in fact a little bit tired, and very old.  
  
"But -" I try to say, but once again I get interrupted, this time by my husband.  
  
"Let her," he repeats his own words. "We can't keep them away from everyone we don't speak to. It wouldn't hurt them too much if we let them ask for autographs."  
  
"Well - okay, then." I turn back to the girls. "Let's go," I say, trying to make my voice sounding eager. "Let's go to ask for an autograph."  
  
I take the hands of the yelling children, swallow, and begin walking towards the pitch. I hear Ron walking right after us.  
  
On my way there, I collect all my courage and prepare to meet again my former best friend.  
  
As we get nearer, he's already giving autographs. Some teenager girls are hanging around him, flirting shamelessly. I see Malfoy walking nearer. One of the girls walks to him.  
  
"You're his friend, right?" she asks, motioning towards Harry.  
  
"I guess so," Malfoy replies, raising an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"  
  
"Does he have a girlfriend?" the girl goes on asking.  
  
"No, he doesn't," Malfoy says, grinning. I try to not to show my disgust. I know that he's going to humiliate the poor girl completely.  
  
"Oh!" she exclaims. "What do you think, would he like to go for a date?"  
  
"I don't think so." He starts walking towards Harry again. "He's pretty busy right now. He's going to get married this summer."  
  
"Married?" the girl echoes, going very pale. "But - but you said that he doesn't have a girlfriend yet!"  
  
"No, he doesn't," Malfoy replies. "Or do I look like a girl?" He walks forward, leaving the stunned girl stare after him. He walks right to Harry and kisses him right to the mouth. "Great game, handsome," he says, grinning.  
  
"Thanks, beautiful." Harry pecks him on cheek. Then he turns around. When he sees us, his eyes widen a little bit. Then he seems to calm down. "What now?" he asks. I see Malfoy taking a step backwards.  
  
"My daughters would like an autograph," I say as calmly as I'm able to. "If you aren't too busy right now?"  
  
"Nope," he replies, taking the autograph books from the girls. They have both their own - Ron has bought them. He's totally obsessed, and has made the girls similar - even Audrey is collecting autographs more or less seriously, and she's only three.  
  
"I'm Angelina," Angelina tells him helpfully, "and that's Audrey." She points at Audrey, who waves shyly.  
  
"Really?" he asks. "And are these your parents?" He looks at us, his eyes twinkling. I don't return his glance. I don't know if Ron does. At least the twinkle in Harry's eyes fades off.  
  
"Yes, they are," Angelina giggles. "This is Mommy and this is Daddy. Mommy is a teacher," she adds. Her voice is excited, like she was telling a very big secret. "She teaches us and our friends at our home."  
  
"Really? I don't know if I can believe that," he smiles. He gives the books back to the girls. "There you go," he says.  
  
"Thank you," Angelina smiles, like we've taught them to do.  
  
"Thank you," Audrey whispers as well.  
  
"You're welcome. I'm sorry, but I have to leave." He turns around and walks away.  
  
Malfoy stands there for a little while. A little smirk is playing on his lips, when he raises his left hand. In the ring finger is a little, silver ring, shining in the pale winter sun. 'He's all mine,' he mouths, before following his fiancé.  
  
"Let's go, kids," I say, trying to sound happy. "We have to go at home."  
  
They follow us, talking nonsense, like little children usually do. We're just leaving the pitch, when Angelina suddenly asks, "Why did that other man kiss him?"  
  
I freeze on my place. Then I calm down a bit and say to her, "Because they're unnormal, dear. It's that simple."  
  
"Aha." She nods.  
  
She doesn't say anything else before we're at home.

()  
  
"Take this to Olivia," Angelina says. She tries to get our old Worry fly away. "Didn't you hear? Take this to Olivia!"  
  
"I don't think that's accurate enough," I say, struggling against laughter. "There are too many people called Olivia around. You should know more about her."  
  
"Oh, should I? Like what?" she asks, looking very surprised. Of course. When I and Ron owl someone, we only say 'take this to Ginny' or 'take this to Bill', and the like, because all our owls know what we're meaning if we say 'Ginny' or 'Bill' or 'Charlie' or anyone else.  
  
"For example her family name," I advise. "Or maybe where she lives. Didn't she tell you anything?"  
  
"She did." She looks like she's thinking for a while. Then her face lights up. "Take this to Olivia," she says to Worry. "Olivia lives in a big manor with snakes on the gate!"  
  
I'm surprised and slightly shocked. "Could you mean - the Malfoy Manor?" I ask carefully.  
  
"Oh, that it was!" Angelina exclaims. "She lives in the Malfoy Manor! Take this to her!"  
  
Worry makes a hooting sound full of relief and flies away. Angelina turns around towards me. "I sent her a drawing," she tells me. "There was a snicth in it."  
  
"Snitch, dear," I correct her. "That's good. I bet she'll like the drawing." I can't help myself, but I feel a little bit worried. Can I really let my daughter to keep contact with a Malfoy?  
  
Or maybe someone else?  
  
I remember Olivia's words about her family. It's obvious that those who she is calling her parents are Lucius Malfoy and Professor Lupin - even when I know that they are married, I can't call Professor Lupin a Malfoy. And her will-be brother-in-law--that's Harry, who's going to marry Malfoy.  
  
I shudder. Why must everything be so complicated?

()()()  
  
18th of February, 2004

()  
  
"There's Olivia!" Angelina shouts. "She told us she'd be here!" She runs towards the girl standing a little way afar from us. Audrey tries to run after her, but trips over and begins to cry. Then she gets up, wipes her tears away, and runs again to Olivia.  
  
I'm a little bit cautious when I walk towards her. Ron is on my side, and I squeeze his hand. "We have to let them make friends with people," I say, reminding as much myself as him.  
  
"I know," he replies. "But we don't have to let them make friends with the wrong kind of people."  
  
I can't come up with a response to that. So, instead, I just concentrate on Olivia as we approach her.  
  
Her hood is up this time, but I recognize her face and that pretty smile that shows up for so little time, as well as the green robe she had before, too. The fur-lined winter cloak, however, is new to me.  
  
Olivia talks cheerfully with the children when we come to the place. She looks up at us, and her smile fades away again. "Err... Hello," she whispers, looking very cautious.  
  
"Who are you?" Ron asks, without responding her greeting. I put my hand on his arm, but he doesn't seem to even notice it. "And why have you been owling my daughter?"  
  
"I am Olivia," she replies. "I played with your children in the last Magpies versus Cannons match. And after that, Angelina kept owling me, so..." She shrugs. "I replied her owls. I'm polite at least, unlike some people."  
  
"Do you mean that I'm not polite?" Ron asks angrily, taking a step towards her. She yelps and jumps backwards, looking terrified. I'm surprised. Ron is tall, okay, and he can look pretty threatening sometimes, especially when he's angry, but even then he doesn't give any reason for more than being only slightly nervous.  
  
"Yes, I do mean that," she replies firmly, but I hear that her voice is trembling. "I tried to be kind to your children, and you speak to me like I am a criminal trying to hurt them."  
  
"Maybe you aren't a criminal, but you are just short of that," he mutters. He doesn't say it aloud, but loud enough to Olivia to hear it. She looks hurt. Not a surprise - I'd be insulted as well.  
  
"What do you speak, daddy?" Angelina asks, looking very confused. "Why you not like Olivia? She's nice! She showed us a new game!"  
  
Olivia shakes her head. "Don't, Angelina," she advises quietly. "Not now." When she makes the gesture, her hood drops to her neck. I let out a surprised gasp.  
  
Her previous braid and simple jewellery are gone. Now her long hair is combed backwards from her face - just the same way as Lucius Malfoy usually keeps his hair. She's wearing silver earrings - silver snakes, with large emeralds. The snakes hiss at us and wave their heads. As she raises her hand to lift up the hood, the seal ring in her finger is pretty easy to see.  
  
The Malfoy ring.  
  
I hear Ron hissing. "Get away from her," he says to girls. "Leave her alone. Now."  
  
"But, daddy!" Angelina protests. "Why can't we be with Olivia? She's our friend!" I hear that she's just about to cry. She doesn't understand why her father is acting like that.  
  
"My daughters aren't friends of Malfoys," Ron says with a grave voice. "None of them. They're all mean and evil, no matter what people say about them. They can't really be friends with anyone. Come away from her." He reaches out her hand and pulls them nearer to us.  
  
"Daddy!" Angelina is practically crying. "She's our friend!"  
  
"Angelina -" Olivia says, reaching her hand towards the girl.  
  
"Don't you dare to touch my daughter!" Ron interrupts, grasping her wrist.  
  
On the same moment as he touches her, the terror on her face turns into pure panic. She begins screaming, screaming so helplessly and painfully that I've never heard anything like that before.  
  
Everyone is staring at us. Ron lets go from Olivia. She stops screaming, but starts crying instead. She tries to stumble away from us, staring at us, her eyes wide open.  
  
Suddenly, two people walk to us. Lucius Malfoy and Professor Lupin. I see Harry and Draco somewhere behind them, running towards us. Lupin immediately goes to Olivia, wrapping his arms around her. He glares at us over her shoulder while trying to comfort her. Mr. Malfoy, however, walks nearer to us. He has a long, black robe and his usual cane. His expression is simply furious.  
  
"What the hell are you doing to my daughter?" Lucius asks, his voice cold as ice. "Answer me, Weasley. What did you do to her?"  
  
"Shh, calm down, sweetheart," I hear Professor Lupin whispering to the crying girl. "Everything is all right. No one is going to hurt you, princess. I am here, and Lucius is here. You're completely safe, dear. Don't cry..."  
  
"I didn't do anything," Ron says, trying to defend himself, "I only grasped her wrist. I didn't do anything to make her cry."  
  
"You didn't do anything?" He leans forward, like a big shadow. Audrey grasps my hand, and Angelina gasps, scared. "You didn't do anything? Can you even imagine how much you hurt her? Can you even imagine how frightened a young girl can be, first because of your obviously insulting words and then because of your attack?"  
  
"I didn't attack her," Ron says. At least my husband is brave, if nothing else. It takes alot to oppose an angry Lucius Malfoy. "Like I said, I only grasped her wrist. It isn't an attack."  
  
"To her, it is!" he exclaims, with more emotion in his voice that I could even think to be possible to him. "You first attacked her when you walked to her! And to grasp her wrist - gods, Weasley, do you know how long it took her to permit me and my husband to touch her hand without trembling after we had brought her home from the orphanage? Days? Weeks? It took two months, Weasley! And you - you go and grasp her wrist when you first meet her!"  
  
"I didn't know," Ron says, with very quiet voice. "I didn't know. But I don't apologize. I'm not going to allow her near my daughters!"  
  
"So that was what you said to her at first?" His expression becomes even more furious. "You told that she couldn't meet them anymore?" He takes another step forward. "She has spent the last week waiting for this day, Weasley, only to meet your damned kids! She was happier than ever before when your daughter sent her that bloody drawing!"  
  
"What?" says somebody from behind him. "You don't allow Olivia to talk with your children?" Malfoy steps in sight. Harry comes with him. They both look furious.  
  
"No," Ron says again, although I hear that he isn't so sure about himself anymore. "Angelina will no longer keep contact with a Malfoy." He grasps Angelina's hand and looks angrily at all the four men before him.  
  
"So you don't want her to make friends with the wrong sort, eh?" Harry says with so sarcastical and nasty voice that I've never heard anything like that from him before. "Even after all these years - all those nasty and mean things you've said and done - I wouldn't have thought this from you, Weasley."  
  
His words hurt Ron. I can see it. Even after all these years - after six years of not keeping contact - even now it hurts Ron to hear his former best friend using his surname.  
  
"I don't think we should stay here any longer," Mr. Malfoy says. He crouches down to face Angelina and Audrey. "You're welcome to the Malfoy Manor whenever you only want, young ladies," he says, "but I'm afraid that your parents aren't." Then he turns around and walks away. Professor Lupin follows him, gently leading the still crying Olivia.  
  
Harry stays for a while. He looks at us, with an angry expression on his face. "If you don't leave Olivia in peace in the future, you'll really regret it," he says coldly.  
  
"Harry -" I try to say, but he interrupts me with a wave of his hand.  
  
"Leave me alone, Weasley," he says. "You told me to choose between you and them. And I chose them. Leave me alone with my family now, Weasley. You yourself started this." He turns around to Malfoy, who's waiting for him. Harry takes his hand, and they walk away after Mr. Malfoy and professor Lupin.

()()()  
  
**A/N**: Yeah, the latter one was the foreflash. Just for the record:  
  
The first match was after the first full moon with Olivia around, which was 8th of December.  
  
The second match is after the situation I left you to in the end of the 13th chapter - Olivia starts looking for an explanation 15th of February.  
  
Yes, I do have everything planned out. Just wait and see. -  
  
Now, Next Chapter: _Be There For Me  
  
_Olivia has memories about The Song, crystal angels, and potion accidents. Severus avoids Seeing, Weasley pays a visit and does a nasty trick, and a friend in need is a friend indeed. Plus, Draco finds a bad thing in a Muggle newspaper. Very bad.  
  
Don't worry about the cliffhanger... I'll submit chap 15 about 10 minutes after this one, and it's long! In fact, it's a new length record!  
  
If anybody's interested, it seems now that this will end with 23 chapters... Although I'll probably join or split up some chapters before I've finished the story, so that's not absolutely sure.  
  
And, if anybody's interested (let me know if you are), I already have some ideas for a possible sequel... XD  
  
And yet, if somebody wants to know about updates and doesn't yet belong to the OLO yahoo!group, they can do it at http:www.groups.yahoo.com/group/ourlittleone/


	15. Be There For Me

Disclaimer: Not mine. I only own Olivia, any other new characters, and the insane plot.

Summary: Olivia sees a lot of Severus's old memories, understanding now a lot more about her parents and their reactions to things - although something is still a secret to her.  
Weasley pays a visit, scaring Olivia and insulting Remus. Later, while Minerva McGonagall tries to contact the Malfoy Manor, Lucius and Remus are away, with a desperate demand to Severus.  
Draco finds something shocking in a Muggle newspaper at work - something that might turn their lives upside down.

A/N: ::grin grin:: So, here it is... A solution to the evil cliffhanger you all have hated so... And what a long solution it is! ::nod nod:: Yes, my little muse Severus truly was busy telling me his memories about things, so you'll see some very surprising things...  
My thousand thanks to Airiel for betaing this chapter, and the last one, too (I forgot her thanks from that... sheepish grin). And my thanks to my muse Severus, too!  
Severus: ::grumbling:: Bloody blackmailer...  
Says the man who's turning this into a fully angst story.  
Yeah, that's true. There is going to be a lot of angst in the future chapters (although I'm trying to slip in some lighter bits, too, as well as a full chapters of happiness and hope). So, prepare for shocks, in this chapter already...  
But now, on with the (record-length) chapter!

()

..Our little one..  
  
Chapter Fifteen  
  
Be There for Me

()()()  
  
This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.  
  
This chapter is partly flashbacks.

()()()

The first thing Olivia saw was the familiar book in front of her. It was the song book, lying on a table next to her. A two-feathered Voice Quill was on top of it, scribbling all the time.  
  
Remus was sitting on the edge of a small bed. There was another bed on the other side of him, a ways away from the first one. In both beds lay a child, one girl, one boy, at least regarding to the colours of their pyjamas: One of them had pink clothes, the other had light blue pyjamas. Anything else she couldn't see, as it was dim in the room, and she was quite some way away from them.  
  
Remus was petting the boy's hair gently. He sang quietly a song that Olivia recognized from the book. "The gold is meant for the sun above," his soft tenor sang, "so that it would come and shine and shove all the doubts of our little minds aside..."  
  
"The gold is there, and you can find it," a deep baritone joined in from the doorway, "if you look in the eyes of children, where the sun shines through the winter..."  
  
Olivia listened in fascination as Remus and Lucius, both looking a bit younger than the Malfoys she knew, sang the song to the end. She sneaked nearer to the beds, trying to take a glance at the children, whom she assumed to be the Narcair's kids.  
  
To her great surprise and shock, she noticed that she knew neither of them - and still she'd seen them both before.

()()()

_Where the rainbow ends, so I've been told_

_There lies on the ground a pot of gold._

_The gold is meant for the sun above_

_So that it would come and shine and shove_

_All doubts of our little minds aside._

_The gold is there, and you can find_

_It if you look in the eyes of the children_

_Where the sun shines through the winter_

_That chills our hearts and takes the hope away._

_Sleep, child, you pick the gold on the life's way._

_()()()  
_

Olivia woke from the memory. She'd dropped the book to her lap in shock of seeing the unexpected sight.  
  
Shocked, she held her head with both hands. Those children in the memory had looked a bit familiar to her. She couldn't quite grasp on it, but she was sure she'd seen them somewhere. She let her gaze wander around the room, half hoping it'd give her some clues about where she knew the kids from.  
  
Then, she saw the little angels on the shelf. And she understood.  
  
Olivia slowly got to her feet, walking warily to the shelf. She examined the angels closely, noticing that she'd indeed been right.  
  
This was where the children had been familiar from: They'd looked exactly like the crystal angels.  
  
Determined to know what was going on, she reached out her hands, grasping on the tiny angels and thus entering the memories attached to them.

()()()

Olivia was standing on grass. She absently noticed she was in the garden of the Manor, and it was summer. The sun was shining, lighting up the whole garden with a soft, golden glow.  
  
A bright green butterfly flew past. Its wings were glittering in the sunlight, emerald and jade and tree leaves in spring and many other greens she didn't have names to.  
  
She heard a happy laugh, a child's laugh, and turned around. Then, she saw them.  
  
Severus and Remus were there, true. Severus was smiling, he was happy. He was wearing blue instead of his usual black robes, and his black eyes were sparkling. Remus was happy also. He had a light blue shirt, along with dark green trousers. Remus's wand was slowly waving around. They were both watching two little children, around three or four years both.  
  
The boy wore his long, platinum hair on a ponytail. He was wearing a green shirt and grey trousers, and he resembled Lucius disturbingly closely. Even his silver eyes were the same, fixed on the green butterfly.  
  
The girl also looked a bit like Lucius, but not so much. Her hair was dark, reddish brown, and her eyes were also brown. She had on a blue sweater with a glittering picture of a unicorn on it, and she was also wearing a necklace with a silver pendant. She was reaching for the butterfly, trying to catch it but always only touching the small glitters of magic in its trail.  
  
Olivia just stared, unable to do anything else. She blinked, and as she opened her eyes again, the picture was different.

()

The memory was from a time before the first one, she knew that. How she knew it, she couldn't be sure, but somehow she knew that the one memory before hadn't happened yet.  
  
Olivia was in a room she knew all too well. Remus and Lucius's sitting room, to be exact. Only that it was nothing she was familiar with. Where she'd got used to see light and warmth were now shadows and an eerie atmosphere, and a saddened tone seemed to hang over the whole room.  
  
Severus and Remus were there, though. The two children were there as well. The two wizards sat on the couch, watching silently as the children lay on the floor. The girl was scribbling something on a piece of parchment with the unmatchable skill of somebody below three years of age, while the boy was glancing through a bright-coloured story book.  
  
Suddenly, the boy closed the book and stood. He climbed to the couch next to Remus, and tugged his sleeve. "Tell something," he demanded.  
  
"What should I tell, Philip?" Remus asked with a little bit sad voice. "What do you want to hear?"  
  
"Tell about Uncle Luc," the little boy asked. "And about Uncle Sirius, too."  
  
Remus hesitated for a moment, only ceasing the petting as the girl abandoned her drawing and climbed to his lap. Then he started, carefully, "Lucius... he is a very proud man. He fights fairly, never uses low blows to win. He respects himself too much to turn to low-mannered options and knows he can get his way otherwise, too.  
  
"To the outside Lucius is a very cold man," Severus's silky voice cut in. "But to those near him, he's very warm. He loves his family and friends, and is very protective of them. He still loves his ex-wife, Narcissa, like a friend. Lucius also loves Draco more than his own life, and Remus, well, he loves Remus more than anything." He glanced carefully at the werewolf, who was seemingly fighting to keep tears back.  
  
"Your uncle didn't like your mother much," Remus said with a raspy voice, "nor did he like your father. Lucius didn't like them, because they'd done things that hurt him and his loved ones. But he likes you, Philip and Joyce, he loves you. There are a few things he holds dear in his old family, and you're definitely two of those things."  
  
"Why he's not here, then?" the boy named Philip asked quietly. "If he loves you and us, why he's not here with us?"  
  
"He would be, if he could," Severus assured the boy, noticing that Remus was on the verge of tears. "But the Ministry men have taken him from us."  
  
"Why?" asked Joyce, her wide brown eyes full of confusion. Her drawing lay now on the floor, completely forgotten. "Why took Unca?"  
  
"Because they are bad," Severus replied calmly. "And because they are stupid enough to listen to a man named Weasley, and Weasley is evil."  
  
"Weasley also made them take Uncle Sirius," Remus continued quietly. "Sirius is also a proud man, although in a very different way than Lucius. Sirius is never afraid of anything, rather many things are afraid of him. He never thinks before he acts, much less before he speaks, and that's why we all love him so much."  
  
"He's also loyal," the Slytherin picked on the story, his voice soft with held-back tears. "Loyal and honest, and faithful. Tell him a secret, and he won't spill it - usually," he added, exchanging pointed glances with Remus. "Sirius never cheats anyone. He values people's trust above anything else, excluding love, which he always values first." His voice trailed off, and he trembled - something Olivia'd never seen from her mentor.  
  
"And to Sirius," Remus continued as Severus was unable to do so, "'love' means Severus."  
  
For a moment, everyone was very quiet. Then Philip said, quietly, "They are good people."  
  
"Yes," Remus said, hugging Joyce against himself, "they most definitely are."

()

Again, she was in the sitting room, but this time in a much more happy situation. Sirius and Severus were both sitting on a couch very near to each other, Sirius's arm around the Slytherin's shoulders, both looking inevitably happy. A child's book was open on the couch next to Severus, but neither of them gave it a single glance. Obviously, they were used to see children's things lying around.  
  
On the couch opposite to them, Lucius and Remus sat, looking equally happy. Even though Olivia could tell that this memory was more recent than the previous one, Remus looked almost younger. Younger, and definitely happier. He had the little girl, Joyce, sleeping in his lap, looking definitely older than in the last memory. Philip, who also was seemingly a "big boy" already, at least more so than the last time, was asleep as well. He was curled up on the end of the couch, his head lying on Lucius's lap.  
  
Even without seeing those two, she could have told there were children in the house. The storybook on the other couch wasn't the only thing lying around. There were a couple of bright-coloured balls, at least three fairly expensive dolls, stuffed animals, and many other toys all around the room. On one corner she saw a few more books, and on another a pile of papers and some wizarding crayons that shone in the darkness.  
  
"Seems it's fairly late already," Severus chuckled just as Olivia was taking it all in. "Or when have you last seen these two voluntarily asleep before midnight?"  
  
"Oh, a couple of times, in fact," Remus chuckled, scooping the sleeping child to his arms and rising to his feet. "Besides, you're the one who's supposed to know what the time is. With your infamous inbuilt clock, you don't need to look at their sleeping to tell the time!"  
  
"It's actually a quarter past ten," the dark-haired Slytherin replied calmly. "Well past the proper bed-time of children this age."  
  
"If I may remind, these are our children, not yours," Remus replied cooly, although a little smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth. "So, it's our job to decide when they go to bed." He steadied Joyce on his one arm, then bent carefully down to pick up the boy also. He didn't seem to have any difficulty carrying one child on each arm, although they were both so big that he could hardly hold them comfortably.  
  
"Seems that you're using the extra strength on your full advantage," Sirius said with a smirk.  
  
"And be glad about that," Remus said cheerfully. "Otherwise, I'd make you carry one of them, as we all know that Severus can't lift more than a phial at time and Lucius managed to get his arm broken." He sent a glare to the direction of his husband, then huffed, "I still don't understand why it's so necessary for you to try to blow up yourself!"  
  
"I'm blowing up nothing, dear," Lucius said with a slight smirk. "I just happened to break my arm."  
  
"Yeah, for the seventh time in the last six months!" Remus remarked as he carried the children towards the door. "You have beaten it up so badly that even a Skele-Gro takes two days to work!" He was gone before Lucius could answer.  
  
The blonde man glared at the Blacks, who were both suppressing laughter. "Don't you dare," he hissed through clenched teeth. "If you ever tell him, I'll skin you alive!"  
  
"Tell him what?" Severus asked, raising an eyebrow in mock-surprise. "The fact that you botched that potion on purpose?"  
  
"Or that you did that so you could use yourself as a test subject to your own healing potion?" Sirius smirked. "I'm sure Remus would love to hear that..."  
  
Lucius glared again at them. Then, he drew his wand. "Accio envelope," he murmured, reaching out his hand. In an instant, a thick manila envelope flew to his hand.  
  
"What's that?" Sirius asked, unable to keep his curiosity back.  
  
"You'll see," the oldest man said with a wink and a smirk.  
  
"You are insufferable, Lucius, you realize that?" Severus smirked at his best friend.  
  
"I'm just trying to live up to my reputation," the blonde replied calmfully.  
  
They kept on idle chatting until Remus returned, having put the children to their beds. The werewolf sat down next to Lucius, then noticed the envelope his lover was holding.  
  
"What's that?" Remus asked curiously, eyeing carefully the object in his husband's hand.  
  
"A little early birthday present to you, dear," Lucius said to the werewolf, pecking him on the cheek and handing him the envelope.  
  
Remus opened the envelope curiously, taking some parchments out of it. As he saw them, he gasped, then dropped them to his lap and hugged Lucius tightly.  
  
"What is it?" asked Sirius curiously, smiling at his old friend's enthusiasm.  
  
"The adoption forms," Lucius replied for Remus, wrapping his arms around the smaller man and returning the hug. "Complete, signed, and accepted."

()

"Happy Birthday, Uncle Sev!" Philip yelled. He and Joyce were standing in front of the tall Slytherin, both in new clothes, jumping on their place with excitement.  
  
"Happy day, Unca Sev!" Joyce giggled, earning warm smiles and chuckles from all the adults present - Remus, Lucius, Sirius, Narcissa, Thomas, Draco, Harry, and a woman whom Olivia recognized from the photo albums as Lilian Snape.  
  
"Thank you, little ones," Severus chuckled, then crouched down to hug them both briefly. Olivia couldn't help but giggle at Harry's surprised expression which she saw over Severus's back.  
  
"This is our gift," the little boy told him, sounding excited. He was reaching out a parcel that looked so messy and well-suffered that he'd definitely made it himself.  
  
"Thank you, dears," the dark-haired Potions Master said, taking the parcel. The others tried hard not to laugh at the children's excited expressions as he purposefully took his time opening the gift.  
  
At last, he got it open, and dropped a couple of some small objects from it to his hand. He surveyed the things closely, his long, silky hair blocking Olivia's view of whatever was on his hand. Then he again looked up, watching the children in turn. "Thank you," the lanky Slytherin said yet again, and smiled briefly. "These look just like you two!" he added, making the children laugh.  
  
Olivia stared at the objects.  
  
There were two little crystal angels resting on Severus's palm.  
  
And, unsurprisingly, the memory faded away again.

()()()

"Olivia? Are you there?" Sirius asked. He stepped inside the room, looking for the girl.  
  
As he spotted her, he froze.  
  
"What's it?" Harry asked from the doorway. "Is something wrong?" He and Draco both came in. As they saw Olivia, they froze as well.  
  
The girl was standing by the shelf. Her hands were clutching on the little crystal angels. Her eyes were staring straight forward, and her lips were silently moving, like she was talking to herself. It was more than clear that she wasn't in the real world, but in a trance.  
  
A trance caused by the crystal angels. Seeing the memories attached to them.  
  
"Oh shit," Sirius whispered, voicing the thoughts of them all. "Harry, go and get Remus and Lucius. Quick. And don't let Severus here. Whatever happens, don't let him come here."  
  
Harry nodded, slowly. "This won't be pretty," he murmured, before turning around and leaving.  
  
Sirius and Draco, still staring at the girl, could do nothing but agree.

()()()

It was summer time yet again. Olivia was standing near a little forest in the Manor's garden. She watched curiously around herself, until she spotted them.  
  
Remus wasn't present this time, only Severus was. He was standing on the grass, holding a hand of each child in each of his hands. They were all staring at something in the forest.  
  
Just as Olivia started to wonder what they were waiting for, she saw something emerging from the shadows of the forest. She gasped in surprise as she realized what it was.  
  
Three shiny white unicorns came to sight, and the children squealed in excitement. Severus gave them a couple of last instructions, and let go of their hands. They immediately went to the unicorns, willing to pet their soft hair.  
  
Olivia watched as Philip pressed his cheek against one unicorn's tail, amazed by its softness. Joyce stroked in excitement one shiny horn as the smallest of the unicorns bent her head down for the girl to pet. Severus watched everything with a tiny smile on his lips, obviously amused by the children's joy.  
  
She noted that none of the unicorns made any attempts to approach the man. Even though they moved between the two children with ease, seemingly not at all bothered by their adoring, none took as much as a step towards Severus. 'Must be because of the Dark Mark,' she mused to herself.  
  
At last, the amazing creatures grew tired. They gently shoved the children's hands off themselves, then nodded as if in goodbye, and went back to the forest. Joyce and Philip stared after them, then turned towards the tall Slytherin.  
  
"Uncle Sev," Philip said excitedly, "that was amazing!"  
  
"Yes, it was," said the dark-haired man, smiling down at both children.  
  
Then he took their hands and started leading them away from the edge of the forest.

()()()

Something was wrong, Severus knew it.  
  
He would have known it even without Harry running into the room, taking the Malfoys with him, and ordering Severus himself to stay without any further explanations. He knew it because something in the general atmosphere of the house had changed, telling him about distress and shock somewhere.  
  
As the Malfoys were specifically addressed, it had to be something about Olivia. And if it was about her, Severus needed to know.  
  
Turning to the right corridor, he took a few hasty steps towards the room Olivia was currently occupying, then stopped. The hairs in his arms were standing up. Every muscle in his body was tensed, and his nose caught a very special scent only existing to those with a very special talent.  
  
It was the scent that only experienced Seers could smell. The scent of somebody Seeing.  
  
He sniffed the air for several times. The scent was nothing like the usual scents, his behaviour nothing like the canine way Remus and sometimes even Sirius would sniff the air in order to know what was around them. The sniffing of his nose was more only a habit; the scent couldn't be clearer to him by any chance.  
  
Somebody was Seeing, yes. Things that had already happened and became true. And not just visions of the past, no, these were real memories. Memories attached to some object - or objects.  
  
The person Seeing wasn't very strong, at least not compared to him. It wasn't a miracle, though - the only other person in the Manor right now with the same talent as he was Olivia, whose powers hadn't developed yet to their strongest, and Severus himself belonged to the little group of strongest Seers in the country. And it was a Seer that was in a trance here.  
  
He also smelled that the memories were his own.  
  
This all took a mere second to sink in to him. Then, alarm bells began ringing in his head. He turned around on his heels, practically running away before the Seeing would tug him into the memories also.

()()()

The first thing Olivia knew about the new memory was a distracting, sharp smell, rather similar to that of burning hair. After that, her ears caught the distant noises. Then, she got her sight, and looked around her, curious to see her new environment.  
  
At first, she saw only smoke and dust. There were screams and cries everywhere. As the smoke faded a bit, she could see people running away, and others lying on the ground, seemingly unable to get up.  
  
She was standing in an enormous hall, large enough to hold hundreds of people. And there were people, yes; bruised and bloodied and wounded, everywhere. She saw one witch whose right arm was lying five feet from the rest of the body, and she felt like throwing up.  
  
Olivia took a couple of shaky, tentative steps. She currently stood in a rumble of stones and rocks. As she glanced upwards, she saw that part of the ceiling had fallen on the floor. The remains of it were under her feet.  
  
There was a foot sticking out from under one rock. It was so small, as long as her forefinger. A baby's foot.  
  
The rest of the baby was under the stones.  
  
Then, she spotted him. Severus, kneeled on the stones, frantically throwing them aside, trying to get to something under them. Other than the few scratches on his hands and the dirt on his robes and skin, he seemed to be completely unharmed. He still looked bad, really bad - there was an odd, almost insane glint in his eyes, and his expression was that of a hopeless man searching for some hope.  
  
Olivia moved nearer, trying to see what he was looking for. She tried her best not to look at the bodies and single limbs sticking out of the pile of rocks she was walking on.  
  
At last, she reached Severus's side. As she saw what the man was trying to get to, she felt like she'd faint on any moment now.  
  
The thing Severus was trying to dig his way to was a long lock of platinum hair, crawling from under stones.  
  
She watched as the man threw even more stones aside. At last he lifted up the final rock, from under which the hair was coming. Olivia leaned forward, trying to see what was underneath.  
  
As she saw it, she wished she hadn't.  
  
The boy's face had been crushed to a bloodied mass. His eyes were staring to the sky through the hole in the ceiling, his mouth opened in an endless scream. Severus turned his head away, tears flowing from under his closed eyelids.  
  
At last, he seemed to collect himself. He reached for his wand and started levitating the rocks away. Olivia didn't know why he hadn't used magic before, but she supposed that the shock had affected him too badly - or he just hadn't trusted his magical skills yet, fearing that he might accidentally kill the people under the rocks if they still were alive.  
  
The stones and rocks flew away, little by little revealing the small body. It was indeed Philip, dressed in Malfoy-green trousers and a white shirt. The shirt was now spotted with blood, at least the part that was remaining - most of the front of his body had become a bloody mass of torn flesh as the explosion had hit him there.  
  
Severus bit his lip, then lifted the boy on his arms. Olivia followed him as he carried the boy away from the place. She tried not to look at the brush of reddish brown hair on the bottom of the hole Severus had dug to the rocks. She was sure that if she'd been inside her body, she'd been sick many times by now.  
  
Severus carried the boy away from the area of stones. He lay the dead child on the floor next to another, larger body. Olivia realized in a flash that the man lying in front of her was Lucius. The platinum hair was tangled with blood, his green robes torn and bloody, and many cuts and wounds resided all around his body. But he seemed to be alive, luckily enough.  
  
Severus stopped for a moment to collect his breath, then returned to the place where he'd found Philip's body. As he lifted yet another rock, both he and Olivia could see that it indeed was some of Joyce's hair coming from under the stones. Next to it was a small, pale hand, by some miracle unharmed. Severus reached out a hand to touch it in a mad wave of hope.  
  
The hand got loose and stayed in his grasp, neatly cut off from the wrist.

()()()

Olivia screamed and pulled her hands hastily away from the angels. She took a couple of steps backwards, seemingly still in the trance, not seeing the world around her. Harry took a hold of her before she fell on the floor. Then he slowly lowered her on the floor, not risking the obviously shaken girl to her feet again.  
  
For a moment Olivia stayed in the trance, merely staring in front of her. Then she seemed to break down, starting to cry helplessly. Harry held her up by her shoulders, not knowing what to do.  
  
Then Remus kneeled down next to her. He looked very pale, almost sick. "It's okay, Olivia," he said in a soothing voice. "It's okay. Calm down, dear."  
  
"It - it's not okay," she sobbed. "It was horrible. There were dead people and screams and crying and - Oh, Merlin, those babies..." Her voice trailed off, even more tears flowing down her cheeks. "And Philip and Joyce," she then whispered softly.  
  
All the adults stared at each other. They had no idea what they could do. The only one who knew what exactly was in those memories, the only one who could tell them that and help them to figure out how to comfort Olivia the best, was the only one of them who couldn't come to this room without falling into a trance as well.  
  
"They should have been playing," Olivia whispered, "they should have been chasing magical butterflies or petting unicorns. They should have been flying kites, laughing at Puffskeins, or making snow angels! They shouldn't have been lying there... Under the stones..." She lost her voice again, sobbing comfortlessly.  
  
Remus decided to take the risk and put his arms around the trembling teenager, rubbing her back soothingly. Fortunately, she was already too upset to feel uncomfortable with that. She merely clutched on his robes, pressing her teary cheeks against the soft material and weeped to Remus's chest. The werewolf petted her hair and back, being for a moment just like any parent to their little child.  
  
At last, she raised her teary eyes to see the people around her. Sirius was standing in the doorway, seemingly torn between the urges of staying and going to search for his husband. Draco and Harry also stood there, Draco snaking his hand into Harry's. Next to her and Remus stood Lucius, leaning on his cane, a worried look on his face.  
  
Olivia now locked her eyes at her blonde father. "You were in Azkaban," she said softly. "They said you were."  
  
"That's true," Lucius admitted quietly, nodding his head slowly. "I got out of there about six months later as Remus, Severus, and Dumbledore at last fought me free of the accusations."  
  
His eyes slid off focus, a distant expression entering his face as he slipped into the old memories.

()()()

This part of the chapter is from Lucius's POV.

()()()

7th of January, 1999

()

It's so cold here. So fucking cold, and lonely, too.  
  
I wasn't cold once. I remember warmth... Warmth, and strong arms wrapping around me, holding me, keeping me safe. For a moment, I feel good.  
  
Then they come. They are swarming around my cell, hungry for my memories, my feelings. They suck away the happiness and warmth, take the memory of you away from me. They take the warmth of your smile, your glowing eyes, your sweet words in my ears.  
  
I still remember you. I can't help but remember, but I only remember the bad things, not the good ones.  
  
I remember your tiny body, covered with scars, shivering in the coldness of the morning after yet another full moon.  
  
I remember your eyes, accusing me; I hear your sharp words, "Then you can kill me on my seat." How could I ever hurt you? How could I ever raise my hand against you? And yet I remember your cold eyes, honestly expecting me to kill you.  
  
I remember your screams echoing in my mind. I see your body; writhing and struggling in the grip of the cruel silver ropes. And I remember myself, standing back and watching you suffer.  
  
I remember standing next to your bed, not knowing whether you'll ever wake up. I remember waking up and fearing that you might not be there, standing next to me.  
  
I remember you standing next to me, hesitating. You don't answer, and I wait. Everyone waits. I remember fearing your answer, fearing that you might back away on the last moment, that you don't want me anymore. I remember the suspension and silent agony, and yet I'm unable to remember your answer. I can't remember you saying, "Yes." And I can't recall you answering, "No," either. I'm beginning to wonder whether you answered at all, or did we just stand there until I broke down with my fears, now being trapped inside my own insane mind.  
  
After that, I remember nothing. Only your eyes when they took me, the distress and fear on your face, the scream I remember escaping your lips and never remember ending. I want to think that you were upset because you cared about me, but the thought leaves my mind as soon as it enters it. The only reason they allow me to have is that you fear for yourself, that they're going to take you also.  
  
I wonder if they've taken you. Maybe they've killed you. They called you a beast, wanted to kill you. Have they done it now?  
  
If they have, was it because of me?  
  
New memories come to me, replacing the others in my mind. These memories are older, before the time they took me. Your pale body lying on the floor, blood pooling around you like poison, burning my eyes with its colour and my nostrils with its scent.  
  
I remember your wrists, the smooth skin now crossed by an uneven, harsh line on both hands. I also remember the knife, it slid from your small hand, still tainted with your blood.  
  
I hear your voice, quietly telling that you were tired of it all - death, fights, fear. I feel the freshly scarred lines under my fingers, as real as on the day I felt them. I see your eyes, full of regret, but not of regret about what you've done, but about being unsuccessful.  
  
I remember the day I realized you didn't want to live anymore.  
  
Days are so long here, nights filled with painful nightmares. I often wake up screaming and in cold sweat, unable to think about anything good, since every time I catch a nice memory they come, feeding off it until it dies away. Voices, faces, eyes accusing me, hurting me, tearing me apart - and still they can't hurt me half as much as the memories of you.  
  
Today, yet new memories come to me. I see you, watching as your friend walks to the altar, your eyes envying him even though your mouth smiles. You wanted to be on their place but couldn't, they wouldn't let you marry, and it was unfair and you were hurt and envious even when you didn't want to be.  
  
And for my life I can't remember what you answered on the altar.  
  
I remember the long years without you. I've relived a thousand times every moment I missed you, every night I dreamed of you, every morning I woke up alone, every time I looked at my son and thought that he should be yours also. All this I've lived again and again, and never can I remember being happy, even less being with you.

()()()

I startle as somebody grasps my arm. I see Remus watching me with a look of concern on his face. Olivia is also watching me intently, looking frightened. Everybody else in the room is looking at me, too.  
  
I shake my head to clear it of the fuzzy mess it's become. Then I force a smile to my lips. "Sorry," I mumble, casting my eyes to the nearby wall as I can't bring myself meeting Remus's intense gaze. "It's the Azkaban... I didn't have an animal form to escape to. It... left its traces, the time I spent there."  
  
They all nod slowly. I hope they believe me, at least Olivia - the others more or less know it already, as it is perfectly true. Azkaban truly leaves its marks even in as short time as a month. Remus once had to spend a month - and a full moon - there, and he still sometimes has nightmares about it, often around the full moon. Severus has only been a couple of weeks at best, and he has, fortunately, been saved from the aftereffects. Sirius, who has been there the longest of us all, could always switch to his dog form - and he still has nightmares. Me, I was there for half a year, and I'm not an Animagus.  
  
They understand it does things to a person. They have to. They've all been there themselves - well, Harry and Draco haven't, gladly, but Remus, Sirius, and Severus have. They know what the Dementors are like, what it's like to be hopeless and empty and drained of all warm feelings.  
  
Harry and Draco still have grim expressions. They've seen me having these fits often enough to know what it is about. Sirius bites his lip to prevent the memories coming back to him also, and Remus looks simply worried about me. And Olivia... Olivia looks frightened.  
  
I sigh and walk to her, testingly placing my hand on her shoulder. To my great relief, she doesn't jerk away or even flinch; she just stares at me with wide silvery eyes so similar to my own, and yet so different. I wonder what's the secret behind her birth. Who really was her father?  
  
"We all have dark pasts," I say quietly. "They are bound to affect us sometimes. I'm sorry if I frightened you with my behavior."  
  
"It's okay," she says, and manages a little, shaken smile. "I - I'm just upset about everything I saw." She's quiet for a moment, her eyes wandering down to the ground, then snapping back to me. "Why have you never told me about them?" she asks quietly, tears veiling the silver eyes.  
  
"It's too painful," I reply, my voice quiet even in my own ears. "They were so little and happy, and then - then they died." I swallow and close my eyes. "And it was my fault," I then continue. It was my fault, after all. It was me who took them there, it was me who didn't realize just how dangerous it would be.  
  
It was me who killed them, and yet I was the one who survived.  
  
"Stop that, Lucius," Remus says quietly. He walks to us and puts a hand on both of our shoulder. "Lucius blamed himself, far from the beginning," he tells to Olivia. "He thought that it was his fault, for taking them to the Potions Masters' meeting. Obviously, he still thinks so." He chews his lip for a moment, then continues, "It was nobody's fault, really. Lucius was expected to be there, and it being the day after the full moon, I couldn't take care of them - something that I couldn't help."  
  
I shake my head slowly. Remus just fails to understand that it indeed was my fault - but I'm not going to argue with him about it. That'd just make him even more upset, and that's the last thing I want to happen. "You're right, we should have told you," I say to her. "They are the reason why we were so upset at Christmas - Christmas Day was when Remus recognized their bodies and they were officially announced to be dead. We always go to their grave then - their ashes are buried under a statue of an angel in a little room in the East Wing."  
  
At first she looks hesitant, then says quietly, "I saw you... In that room, when I got lost in the corridors. I didn't ask anything, I didn't want you to get mad at me..."  
  
Remus draws her to his embrace yet again. "Never be afraid of asking," he says reassuringly. Tears form a veil over his amber eyes as he goes on, "Philip and Joyce are also the reason why I got upset that day at the Narcairs'. The song you were singing to the children, it was the same that I sang in their funeral..." Then he breaks into quiet sobs, and Olivia, too, starts quietly crying again.  
  
I catch Sirius's gaze over their heads and shake my head, sending him a message. He nods, understanding, and leans over to whisper the same to Harry's and Draco's ears. Both youngs nod to me, and I give them a little, tight-lipped smile.  
  
They understand to keep their mouths closed. Some secrets simply aren't meant to be found out.

()()()

This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

()()()

Olivia was in her laboratory, just about to finish the potion Severus had assigned to her. It was quite simple recipe, but as it was the base for many advanced potions, Severus had wanted to make sure she could brew it properly.  
  
She was quite watchful at the moment. After the incident in the Quidditch match she'd been extremely careful all the time. Still ashamed about her inexplicable freak-out, she tried to keep herself as calm as possible. This far, she'd been rather successful.  
  
Suddenly, there was a sound of somebody entering the room. Olivia turned around, expecting to see her Father or maybe Severus.  
  
She stared in horror at the man who'd forbidden her keeping contact to Angelina and Audrey - the little girls' father.  
  
Ronald Weasley.

()

Lucius and Remus sat in their sitting room in a rather comfortable silence. Both were still wary, though - they knew that a Ministry official would come at any moment, deciding whether Olivia was allowed to still stay as their child. Of course, they both hoped desperately for a positive result.  
  
Suddenly, the door banged open. Olivia came to the room, her lips trembling. As Remus noticed this, he reached out his arms to his daughter. Immediately Olivia fell to his embrace, starting to sob quietly.  
  
"Shh, dear," Remus whispered, cradling the girl in his lap. "What's wrong, Olivia? Why are you crying?" He exchanged worried glances with Lucius over the girl's head.  
  
"It's Weasley - the mean man from the Quidditch match," she started. "He came to my laboratory - asked what I was doing. I answered him, trying not to make him angry. We talked for a moment - he asked a lot of things about you, and about me being here. Then, suddenly, he grasped on my arm..."  
  
Remus hugged her even tighter. "What did you do?" he asked quietly, exchanging glances with Lucius over the girl's head.  
  
"I - I ran away," Olivia confessed, trying to swallow back the tears that still continued to fall. "I don't know why, but - I just got scared." The girl was quiet for a moment. "I hate being weak," she then muttered, her eyes cast down to the floor.  
  
"You're not weak," Lucius assured her. "Believe me, you have very good reasons for your behavior - reasons good enough that the Ministry officials have removed them from your mind."  
  
Olivia looked confused. "Removed from my mind?" she echoed, sniffling.  
  
Lucius sighed deeply and nodded. "There's a Memory Charm cast upon you," he explained. "How they managed to do that without damaging your mental abilities is beyond me, but then again, I've always only truly understood Potions and Dark Arts." The blond man gave the girl a concerned glance. "Believe me, Olivia, we only allowed it because we think it's the best for you. We'd never hide anything you really need to know from you."  
  
"I - I know that," she replied, wiping away her tears. "But - Weasley said he was going to talk with you, too."  
  
"I'll go and find him," Lucius said, starting to rise from his seat.  
  
Remus, however, stopped him with a raised hand. "I'll go," the werewolf said. "I want to have a little chat with Mr. Weasley."  
  
"Fine, you go," Lucius agreed, giving his husband a slight nod. Not needing more encouraging, Remus walked to the nearest mirror, pressing his platinum seal ring against it.  
  
"Where's the guest?" he asked as soon as the silver dust appeared to the surface of the mirror.  
  
"In the smaller hall," replied the familiar, cool voice from the mirror.  
  
"Take me there," Remus commanded, and stepped through the mirror.  
  
As soon as he stepped out of the mirror on the other side, he faced one Mr. Weasley. The redheaded man blinked in surprise as he saw the Second Master of the Manor stepping out from a mirror, but otherwise, he kept reactionless.  
  
"You scared my daughter," Remus started simply. If the man didn't care about formalities, neither would he.  
  
"I did," Weasley admitted, not even trying to deny it. "I think it's obvious that you've done something to her if she's that afraid of men."  
  
"She's not afraid of men in general, just of straight men," the werewolf replied coolly. In his mind he was busy imagining how he would slowly rip the man into shreds, thus trying to keep his rage under line.  
  
"What would you know about that?" the Ministry official spat out. "It's rather obvious that you aren't a man at least, much less straight!"  
  
Now, Remus was getting really furious. "Mister Weasley, I don't think -" he started with an ice-cold voice he'd picked from Lucius, but he was interrupted by the younger wizard.  
  
"Don't talk to me!" Weasley growled. "I don't care what you think! You're only a pathetic cock-sucker, aren't you?"  
  
Remus flinched, hurt by the younger man's words. He opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly they heard a cold voice from the door.  
  
"Yes, he is," Lucius said, smirking at the redhead. "And a damn good one, I might say. But since when have you had such an interest for the technics of gay sex, Mr. Weasley?"  
  
Weasley flushed in anger. "You don't have rights to talk to me like that," he growled. "I'm a Ministry official!"  
  
"Really?" Lucius walked nearer, his expression turning nearly threatening. "And I'm a member of the Ministry Council as well as the Potions Master Council. And you have insulted my husband, who happens to be the Keeper of the Wolf's Staff, as well as scared my daughter for the second time. I insist you to leave on this very moment and not come back to our home before I or one of my family members tell you otherwise."  
  
"Fine," Ronald murmured. In an instant he Disapparated from the Manor.  
  
"Remus, darling?" Lucius said, walking nearer. "What did he say to you?"  
  
"Not much," Remus replied quietly. "You heard the most important parts, I believe."  
  
"Oh, my poor love," the older man sighed, drawing the werewolf into his embrace. "Don't care about him. He's just a homophobic git who holds grudges for far too long."  
  
"He's also the one who can decide whether or not the adoption will be confirmed," Remus pointed out bitterly.  
  
"I'll take care that they send another official," Lucius promised firmly. "I'm not going to let that excuse of a man rip my family apart. Everything will be all right, love. Just wait and see."  
  
"I hope so," Remus said quietly. "I truly hope so, for I do not want to lose Olivia."  
  
To that, Lucius couldn't say anything. Instead, he just hugged Remus even tighter.

()()()

"Well, how was it?" Sirius asked curiously as Severus walked in.  
  
"Plain dumb," the Slytherin sighed, sitting heavily to the couch next to his lover. "I just stood there for fifteen minutes, and then, that's it. I wasn't even needed there - only five had tried the test, and none of them passed!"  
  
"Why do you have to be there, then?" Sirius asked. "I know that the announcer doesn't get the knowledge of them passing or failing until in the ceremony, but couldn't they inform you whether you're required there or not?"  
  
"No, because I am required, regardless of the situation," Severus grumbled. "It's a tradition. Only the Lead Potions Master can let new members into the ranks. And, at the moment, only my wand is capable of completing the badges. It doesn't matter whether any of them pass or not, I have to be there just in case somebody does."  
  
"Well, when you attended to the final test, the Lead Potions Master wasn't there for nothing," Sirius said with a smirk.  
  
"No, definitely not." Severus smirked, too, as he recalled the memory.

()()()

4th of September, 1980

()

"Allen, Timothy, fifth time... lacks forty-nine points."  
  
Severus glanced to his left, where a wizard, by his looks around thirty years old, groaned aloud and slapped his forehead. The young Slytherin couldn't help but raise his eyebrows questioningly. If he truly lacked forty-nine points out of a hundred on his fifth time, why even bother to try?  
  
As more names and scores were called, however, he noticed that the man was more a rule than an exception. Most lacked over fifty points, and a middle- aged witch, a first-timer just like Severus, had only got three points in the whole test.  
  
As his name came nearer, he steeled himself. Only one wizard this far had passed, on his seventeenth attempt at the test. Severus had heard that most gave up after their seventh or eighth time. They were already entitled to do almost any potions work, what would one level more mean?  
  
Really, they had absolutely no ambition. Severus, personally, could not accept any other position but that of a Potions Master. Even as a child, he'd already known what he'd be - and he was determined to reach that destination.  
  
"Saldar, Alicia, ninth time... passes, with the usual notice, 'Almost.'"  
  
A couple of seats to right from him, a brown-haired witch, maybe around forty years of age, let out a cheerful shout. Severus clapped politely along with the others as the witch, like the wizard who had passed before her, walked to the stage. There, the Lead Potions Master tapped her badge with his wand, making a small diamond fly from an iron box to its respective place.  
  
Even though it was almost completely unfamiliar to his character, Severus was starting to get nervous. He fiddled with his own badge, a full golden potion vial. Most of the usual nine tests had been easy to him, and he'd always passed them on the first time, with full points. Now, however, the test had been more difficult than he'd imagined even in his worst nightmares. Only full points would get him pass the test.  
  
Lucius had lacked only ten points at his first time, which was really exceptionally well, and he'd passed on his third time, which was almost unheard of. Right now, Severus was hoping that he wouldn't lack more than thirty points, as seventy points at the first time was considered the line between a normal potions' brewer and a brilliant one.  
  
"Snape, Severus, first time," the official read from his papers. Everyone fell silent again. Severus nailed his eyes at the official, completely oblivious to the nudge he got from the Glamoured Sirius next to him.  
  
For a moment, it was silent as the official crumbled, like not believing what he'd read.  
  
'Oh, no,' Severus thought. 'I probably got no points at all... Is that why he doesn't announce me yet?'  
  
Then, the official announced, his voice hardly more than a whisper but still well audible in the quiet hall, "Passes... with no other notices."  
  
For a moment, everyone sat still in a stunned silence.  
  
Then, a slow, loud clapping started from the seat to right from Severus, where Sirius sat under his disguise. Almost immediately, everybody joined the applauding.  
  
Somebody - Sirius? - nudged Severus to the back, and he stood slowly, feeling numb. The thunderous applauding followed him to the stage.  
  
As he rose the steps, he was still thinking that it was some kind of a twisted joke. Nobody passed on their first time. As long as there'd been Potions Masters, there'd been no one who had passed the test on their first time! Even the current Lead Potions Master hadn't passed until on his third time, like Lucius.  
  
Then, the Lead Potions Master stood before him. The old wizard eyed him carefully for a moment, then curled his thin lips into a smile. "Looks like I've found myself a follower," he murmured, then tapped his wands against Severus's badge. Another diamond flew from the well-guarded box and magically attached itself as a stopper to the vial figure.  
  
And thus, Severus Snape joined the ranks of Potions Masters, nobody questioning his justification to that.  
  
()()()  
  
"I have to admit, you look good in white," Sirius said, bringing him back from the memories. "You should wear it more often."  
  
Severus snorted. "I look terrible in white and know it very well," he argued. "I'm only wearing it because it's expected from all Potions Masters in official occasions concerning our Guild. Unlike Muggle scientists, we can use Self-cleaning Charms on our laboratory robes, so practically any colour would do - it's only white for the effect." He did, however, stroke slightly the golden badge on the front of his robe. The diamond still stood there, along with a ring of tiny rubies around it, indicating his position on top of the ranks.  
  
"And yet you know that effects are everything when it comes to the public," his husband smirked. "You're too much a Slytherin to ignore that."  
  
"If I'm too much a Slytherin for something, then why did I marry a Gryffindor?" Severus snapped.  
  
"You could always use temporary mental disturbance as an excuse," Sirius offered cheerfully.  
  
The Potions Master let out a disbelieving snort. "Temporary? For the love of Salazar, my dear, we'll have eight years of marriage in May!"  
  
"Not necessarily. You still have time to change your mind!"  
  
Severus rolled his eyes, then smacked his husband on the arm. "Oh, shut up," he chuckled. Then he moved nearer, staring right into the sapphire eyes of his lover. Sirius met his gaze steadily. They moved still nearer, until their lips were just an inch apart.  
  
Then, there was no distance between their mouths.  
  
Just as they both lay on the couch, Sirius on top, and Severus had a hand snaking its way under Sirius's shirt, somebody fell out of their fireplace.  
  
Sirius broke off the kiss, really annoyed. "Is it truly so important?" he started to complain as he turned towards their visitors, slightly flushed.  
  
The words died on his lips, however, as they saw the state the Malfoys were in. Lucius looked pale and almost frightened, something completely unfamiliar to him, and Remus's lips were trembling, his hands clutching tightly the blond man's arm.  
  
"Lucius? Remus?" Severus asked, sitting up on the couch and hastily buttoning the couple of top buttons of his official robe Sirius had already had time to open. "What's the matter?"  
  
"Severus," Lucius said, sounding very tensed, and seemingly completely oblivious to the rather suspicious position they'd found their friends in. "You work under the Family Department, right?"  
  
"Right - as well as under the Potions Master Department," the other Slytherin replied. He raised a curious eyebrow. "Why so? You look like you had run all the way from the Manor."  
  
"You have to help us!" Remus cried out before Lucius had time to say anything. "Weasley is trying to take Olivia from us!"  
  
Sirius's expression darkened threateningly. "WHAT?" he exclaimed. "How that bastard dares?"  
  
"He's telling everybody that a girl abused by men shouldn't live with only men around," Lucius explained, wrapping his arms around his husband's shoulders in order to calm him a bit. "And that because she's suffered because of Death Eaters, the presence of two former Death Eaters, a werewolf and an ex-convict will hurt her mentally before long, causing her maybe even very serious mental injuries."  
  
"Rubbish!" Sirius growled. "You've done more good to the girl than anybody else could. I'll kill him, I swear I will!"  
  
"Calm down, dear," Severus said, placing his hand on the Animagus's arm. He had a thoughtful expression on his face. "So she shouldn't have too many men around? Or anything involving the Dark Arts?"  
  
"Right," Lucius nodded. "And... They're going to put Olivia somewhere other than in our family until the trial is over - Weasley is going to have a trial, he seems to be very determined to spoil our lives. Could you possibly affect the other officials in any way so she wouldn't be placed in an orphanage once again?"  
  
"Sure," Severus smiled. "I'll have her put to the Narcairs or perhaps Lilian, they'll surely help you out. Now, please excuse me - I have some research to do." He disappeared from the room, looking still very thoughtful.  
  
"Don't worry, Moony," Sirius said, squeezing his friend's shoulders. "Sev will help you. Olivia'll be back to you before you even notice."  
  
"I really hope so," Remus murmured. "I just couldn't bear it, should we loose another child." Then he broke down, crying helplessly.  
  
Lucius drew the weeping werewolf into a warm embrace. He was crying as well, silent tears rolling over his cheeks as he mumbled soothingly into his mate's ear.  
  
Sirius looked at his friends, feeling helpless. He couldn't ease their situation the tiniest bit. He could only look at them, try to comfort them in some way, but not do anything concrete.  
  
So, he did all he could. He sat down, summoned a quill and a piece of parchment, and started writing a letter to the younger of his sisters-in- law.

()

"Malfoy Manor, master sitting room!" Minerva McGonagall called as she tossed some of the Floo powder to the green flames. She then waited patiently for somebody to appear to the flames.  
  
Soon, somebody came. But it was neither of the men he'd expected to see. Not Remus, not Lucius - instead, there was a young girl whom Minerva had never seen. She had grey eyes, a golden brown ponytail and a little scratch on her left cheek.  
  
"Why were you calling?" the girl asked, sounding a bit curious.  
  
"Em..." the Deputy Headmistress started, then shook her head and collected herself quickly. "I'd like to talk with Remus or Lucius Malfoy, please."  
  
"They're not here," the girl replied rather calmly. "They said they had some business to do. Father said they'd be back for dinner, but I doubt that - Dad looked quite upset about something." She got a bit worried expression on her face, raising a hand to seemingly subconsciously tug at her ponytail.  
  
"'Father?'" Minerva echoed. "'_Dad_?'"  
  
"Yeah," the young witch replied. "I'm Olivia Malfoy, their adopted daughter." She adopted a bit surprised look. "Although I thought everyone knew about it already," she added then. "Draco's said that every wizarding newspaper and magazine has told about me by now."  
  
"I don't listen to gossips," the Animagus huffed. "I have no time for those. Anyway, could you take a message?"  
  
"Sure," Olivia replied, nodding. "What it is?"  
  
"Just tell them to firecall Minerva McGonagall," she instructed the girl. "Say that I have some information they should know."  
  
"Will do," the girl promised. Then she bade her goodbyes and vanished from the fire.  
  
Minerva, however, sat in an armchair in front of the fireplace for a long time, thinking.

()

Three very quiet men sat in the master sitting room of the Malfoy Manor. Severus wasn't there, as he'd left to take Olivia to the Snape Manor, where she was supposed to stay until the trial was over. He was the one to do that, because after noon of that day, Olivia wasn't allowed to be in the presence of either of the Malfoys outside the courtroom until a different decision had been given. So, in the meantime, Lucius and Sirius were chatting with hushed voiced, every now and then tossing concerned gazes to Remus, who sat in an armchair with his arms around himself, struggling against tears.  
  
Suddenly, they heard sounds of somebody pecking at the window glass. As they turned towards the window, they saw the form of a large bird flying behind it. Sirius got warily up from his seat, walked to the window, and opened it.  
  
A dark brown Ministry owl flew inside. It held a letter in its claw, which it dropped to the table in front of them. Without even stopping, it flew back to the window, obviously not having been instructed to wait for a reply.  
  
Lucius grabbed the message, tearing it open. His stormy grey eyes darted quickly through the letter. Once he'd read it, he growled angrily, crumpled the paper, and tossed it to the floor.  
  
"Lucius? What was it?" Remus asked, sounding startled.  
  
"The bastard demands taking the Memory Charms away from Olivia's mind," Lucius said angrily. "'To prevent shocks during the trial,' he says. Prevent shocks my arse! He only wants to give her reasons to hate Death Eaters - meaning me and Severus."  
  
"I bet he's also trying to scar her," Sirius commented darkly. "That way, he'll have more 'evidences' of you being unfit parents!"  
  
"Whatever it is he's trying," Remus said hollowly, "it's obvious that Olivia's wellbeing is the least important matter in his mind."  
  
"Did you ever even suspect anything else?" Lucius snorted.  
  
"Well, what are you going to answer to the demand?" Sirius asked then seriously (no pun intended).  
  
"Do we really have a choice?" Lucius asked, spreading his arms in a desperate gesture. "If we refuse, he'll say that we're afraid of those memories, or parts of them, changing her opinion about us to worse. And, concerning what kind of memories they are, that's the image we have to avoid at almost any cost."  
  
"Even with the cost of Olivia's sanity?" Remus asked quietly.  
  
"Her sanity could be restored," the Slytherin replied gloomily. "But if an adoption is once cancelled due to reasons not caused by the state of life of the adoptive parents, it can never be confirmed again."  
  
"So, your options are the slim chance that she goes insane, and the almost certain knowledge that you'll lose her forever?" Sirius stated.  
  
Lucius could only nod. He had nothing to add to that.

()

Draco leaned back in his chair, taking another newspaper to his hands. He began lazily glancing through it, his eyes darting from a title to another. A couple of times he stopped to examine something more closely, but then continued, not caring about the stories for long.  
  
He did like his job, sure. Most said it was dull and boring, but he didn't think that way. At least he kept easily up to date about everything happening in the Muggle world, and he always knew what was the situation between the two worlds.  
  
His job description was fairly simple: To look over the Muggle newspapers, searching for any signs of wizarding action getting to them. He rarely found something, and even when he did, the Muggles had usually explained the things so they would fit their senses. Sometimes, however, it was necessary that he contacted the other officials, and an "official" explanation to the weird events could be published in the Muggle press.  
  
He tossed the newspaper aside, taking the next in pile to his hands. As he opened the first page and started to glance over the titles, he suddenly froze.  
  
"Where are you, Olivia?" screamed the title. Draco swallowed. This couldn't be true.  
  
But it was. The picture next to the title was of a younger girl, in Muggle clothes and her hair a lot shorter, but it still was clearly Olivia.  
  
He started reading the article.  
  
"On 5th of September 2002, Olivia Amber Darkholm left her home in Surrey," he read from the paper. "She hasn't been seen since then. Shortly after Olivia's disappearance, her mother divorced her father because of his violent and abusive behaviour.  
  
"Olivia's mother, Maria Smithson, aka Magpie, married Johan Smithson shortly after the divorce. Despite the long time following Olivia's disappearance, she's still willing to believe she'll find her daughter some day.  
  
"'I love Olivia, and I want nothing more but get her back,' says Maria. 'Olivia, you can come home now. It is safe, Marcus can't hurt you anymore.'  
  
"Anyone knowing about Olivia is asked to contact Maria Smithson immediately. When she was last seen, she had light grey jeans, a green hooded sweater and black shoes. She has light brown hair and grey eyes..."  
  
Draco couldn't read more. He just stared at the newspaper, not really seeing it.  
  
_I can't contact the woman, _he thought. _Dad and Remus would never get over losing Olivia also.  
  
But if I can get this paper, then Weasley surely can.  
  
And Weasley will not hesitate contacting Maria Smithson._

_()_

**Author notes:** Next Chapter: Falling Apart  
Olivia is in the Snape Manor, where she ignores Severus's advices, purposefully entering a memory. As the Malfoys hear about this, Lucius's memories return to his mind, too.

Later, the Memory Charms on Olivia's mind are removed, resulting with a serious discussion with Severus and a distressed teen. We'll see why the Dark Marks burn sometimes, as well as which is Olivia's Patronus.  
(All this, if I don't get some new insane ideas.)  
  
If this chapter's memories about the children shocked you, prepare for something even worse in the next chap... X) I'm evil...


	16. Falling Apart

Disclaimer: You must be kidding... I only own the insane plot, and Olivia, and Lilian, and Malcolm, and heck any other OCs you see running around!

A/N: I'm having a bit of author's block with the next chapter... Usually, angst just seems to pour out as I type, but now I can't make up a single scene for a full-angst chapter... So, please be patient with me!

My infinite thanks to Airiel, who betaed this chapter, too.

* * *

.().Our little one. ().

Chapter Sixteen

Falling Apart

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

This chapter is partly flashbacks.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

"Severus," greeted a black-haired woman as they stepped out of the Floo. "It's good to see you every now and then, little brother."

"Lilian," Severus replied calmly. "I'm happy to see you, too." Then he turned to nod towards the girl he had with him. "This is Olivia," he stated the obvious.

"Nice to see you, Olivia. I hope you will get on well here," she said, offering her hand. After a moment of hesitating, Olivia took it with a little, nervous smile.

"As long as she has a laboratory, she'd get on well in the depths of Hell, I'm sure," Severus remarked dryly. "Olivia's even worse than I am, Lilian, I swear to my soul she is!"

"Is that even possible?" the woman asked with a raised eyebrow. "Nobody's even as bad as you, Sev dear, let alone worse. I refuse to believe that anyone might be more obsessed about potions than you are!" Turning towards Olivia again, she added, "Well, our laboratories here are yours to use freely. Usually, my son Malcolm would have filled at least one of them with his own tests, but right now he's at Hogwarts. And as I've never held a true desire for Potions, nobody else is going to use the labs but you."

"Malcolm?" echoed Olivia, sounding a bit wary.

"Yes, he's your age, I believe," Lilian said, noticing her nervousness. "On fifth year in Hogwarts right now. A good boy, although most think that he's taking too much after little Sev here, good and bad alike. He's doing well at school at any rate, although last time I heard of him he'd just broke up with his boyfriend."

"Boyfriend, eh?" asked Severus, sounding amused. "That boy truly moves fast, doesn't he? Last time _I_ heard of him he was still longing after that Ravenclaw girl..."

"That was the beginning of his fourth year," Lilian replied. "And, he did tell you about his boyfriend last summer, you just didn't pay attention that's all..."

"Hey!" Severus protested angrily. "Are you implying that I don't pay any attention to my nephew?"

"That's exactly what I was saying," Lilian said calmly. Then, completely ignoring her little brother, she said to Olivia, "Shall we see your room, then? After you've settled in, I could show you around the Manor, or do you want to explore it by yourself?"

"I think I'd like taking a look around by myself," Olivia said, having eased more than a bit after hearing about Malcolm's ex-boyfriend. Straight men were a subconscious fright to her, even if not present, but with gays, she had no problems. "Oh, and thank you so much for taking me in!"

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Lilian smiled. "We don't have that many friends or family, Olivia, so we stick up together. In the end everything comes back to family ties, no matter how distant they are. Lucius might be my ex-brother-in-law, but that's enough for me, since we're also friends."

Olivia's expression fell for a moment at the mention of Lucius, but then she forced a smile on his face again. "I'm sure I won't bother you for too long, since there's no way Severus could lose anything, not even a trial," she said, trying to sound cheerful. "But in the meantime, I truly am grateful to you for letting me stay here."

"As I said, no problem, little one," the witch said. "It's too quiet around here when Malcolm is at school. And of course Severus will visit here every now and then to keep up your tutoring."

"That's right," the wizard said, nodding. "I'm not going to let you take it easy!" he added, a bit of twinkle in his beetle-black eyes.

"I wouldn't have even dreamed of it," Olivia chuckled. "Like you'd ever let anyone neglecting their studies, at least not in Potions."

"Damn right," Severus admitted. Then, his expression turned serious. "Now, Olivia, keep carefully in mind what I'm just about to tell you," he said sharply. "As you know, I grew up in this house - and my childhood was definitely not a happy one. Therefore, as I'm a Seer, many dark memories are attached to this place. You have to use the blocking potion all the time - and absolutely no Brew of Dreams. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Severus," she replied, nodding. "I shall not do anything you forbide."

"It's only better to you, you know," the man added, "as I don't think you'd like seeing any of my memories around here. None of them are pleasant, and most are downright horrid." With this said, he bid a goodbye to his siter, then turned to the fireplace, and tossed some Floo Powder to the flames. "Black Manor!" he shouted before stepping into the fire, and disappearing.

()

After Lilian had shown Olivia to her room, she let the girl on her own. So, being curious as she was, Olivia started to explore the nearby rooms. Lilian had told her to look anywhere that wasn't locked, so she had no fears of browsing the Manor.

In half an hour she'd managed to find a comfortable old sitting room that seemed to have been unused for quite a while. There was a huge, ancient dresser in the room, and being bored, she decided to browse the drawers.

From the bottom drawer she found a few old Christmas cards. Smiling slightly to herself, she opened the first that came to her hand, opening it. On messy handwriting, the card read, '_Merri Crismas to Father and the New Siser! Philip._'

Olivia frowned. She didn't understand this at all. Whoever could Philip refer to as a 'new sister?' He'd been only a year old when Joyce'd been born, that was far too young to write anything!

To Olivia's mind, there was only one way to find out what it was. Completely oblivious to the numerous warnings from Severus, she drew a small, blue phial from a bag on her belt.

Still holding the card in her other hand, she drank the dose of the Brew of Dreams.

()()()

Two people were bent over something on a table. As Olivia went nearer, she saw to her shock that it was Lilian and Philip, making Christmas cards together.

"Aunt Lil?" Philip asked happily. "When will the new sister arrive?"

"Not for quite a while, Philip," Lilian chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair. "You still have a few months to wait."

"That's booo-ring," the boy whined, pouting. "Why can't she come already?"

"Because she has to grow up, my dear," the witch replied, smiling at his enthusiasm. "Right now she's just a tiny thing inside your Father's stomach, but she's growing at every moment. That's why you have to be nice to your Father - he's very tired because the baby is using his energy."

"Oh!" he nodded, finally understanding something. "So that's why Father fell asleep yesterday in the middle of the day?"

"Exactly, little one." She then turned her attention back to the cards in progress. "Are these already done? Shall we write the greetings to them?"

"Yes!" Philip squealed happily. "Can we put the new sister to Father's card?"

"Of course, dear, of course."

Smiling, they both got back to work.

()

"Back already?" Lilian asked smiling, looking up to the man in the doorway. As Philip heard her words, he jumped up from the armchair he'd been sitting at, and ran to hug Remus's legs.

"Dad!" he exclaimed. "We made Christmas cards! You'll get them at Christmas!"

"Really, Philip?" the werewolf asked, sounding bemused. He bent down to pick the boy up, hugging him tightly. "Have you had fun with Aunt Lilian?"

"Lots!" the boy replied. "Where's Joyce?"

"We'll go and pick your sister up at the Narcairs'," another voice said behind Remus. Lucius stepped to the room, his stomach round in a telltale way that told about a happy family event sometime in the near future. "Thank you for looking after him, Lilian," he then said, nodding his thanks to his former sister-in-law.

"No problem," the darkhaired woman replied, smiling. "It's a bit quiet around here while Malcolm's away, it was just nice to have some life around. Besides, I know you need rest sometimes," she added with a slight grin. "When I was pregnant with Malcolm, all I wanted to do was sleep!"

"Sounds familiar," Remus said, laughing a bit. He wrapped an arm around Lucius's round waist, still securing the little boy on his other arm. "Day or night, you never know when he's going to fall asleep!" These words earned him a glare from Lucius, but he didn't care. Instead, he just placed a slight kiss on his husband's temple - or at least attempted to, but because of their great length difference, he only managed to kiss Lucius's shoulder.

"I'll gladly take care of the children in the future, too, if you need help," the witch promised with a friendly tone. " I especially think you'll require some help after the next full moon. I have no problem taking the children in, and I think that even Malcolm might consider not scaring them, as he'll already home by then."

Lucius smirked, then shook his head. "There's a Potions Masters' meeting the day after the full moon," he said. "I'm anyway required to be there, so I thought I'd take the kids with me, as Remus is clearly incapable of taking care of them. It being so near Christmas, I don't want to burden anyone else with my own children, if I can look after them myself."

"Do as you wish," Lilian replied with a slight shrug. "Will you stay for some tea?"

"No. As Lucius said, we have to pick Joyce up from Narcissa," Remus replied, smiling. "But we'll be sure to visit during the Christmas holiday, if you'll allow that."

"With pleasure," she said, returning the smile.

Then, the memory faded away.

()()()

"Olivia?" asked a quiet voice. "Olivia, are you there?" As she got no reply, Lilian stepped to the dim room. She'd looked everywhere she could think of, and had found nothing. Therefore, she was now using the last possibility.

To her great shock, she indeed found Olivia there. She wasn't shocked about the fact that the girl was there, but about the situation she found her from. The Ciddle was sitting on the floor, clutching an old card in her hand, and crying silently. Tears had drawn their traces to her face over and over until her cheeks were all wet, but she didn't seem to care; she just cried some more.

"What's the problem, Olivia?" Lilian asked, kneeling down next to her. "And what's this?" She gently pulled the card from the girl's grasp. As she saw what it was, she gasped in even greater shock.

It was a Christmas card she'd done with Philip... One of those she'd hid away and had never shown to her former brother-in-law and his husband.

"Is it true?" Olivia asked hoarsely, startling her from her thoughts. "Was Father truly pregnant when the explosion hit him?"

"Yes, he was," Lilian said quietly. "The baby, a girl, was lost immediately... He'll also never again be able to carry a child, they're doomed to never have children together."

At this, Olivia didn't say anything. She merely started to cry, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. "Not fair," she whispered. "They've lost so much already... Why did they have to lose all hope as well?"

"Well, at least they have you now," Lilian said, then drew the girl into a hug, trying to comfort her the best she could. For a moment she cursed herself for ever letting Severus leave, since she realized that her little brother was the one person closest to Olivia right after Remus and Lucius. In her mind, Lilian thought, '_Let's just hope that the fact they have you doesn't change, too..._

Truly you are leading a though life, little one.

()()()

This part of the chapter is from Lucius's POV.

()()()

"Will you take some chocolate?" I offer, handing a box of Honeydukes's best chocolate to Remus.

"No," he says quietly, hugging a pillow against himself, pressing himself even nearer the corner of the couch. "I don't want chocolate, Lucius. All I want is Olivia back."

"And you shall get her," I promise, squeezing his shoulder slightly. "Do you seriously think I would give her away without putting up a good fight?"

"But what if it's not enough?" he asks miserably, watching me through his fringe. "What if she never comes back to us?"

"Of course she will," I say, deciding to keep quiet about the owl I just received from Draco about his sudden discovery. "Why wouldn't she?"

"Don't know," Remus admits quietly, "but I have a bad feeling about this."

Just then, an owl pecks at the window. We seem to be really liked today. Walking to the window, I open it, and the owl flies to the table, dropping its message there. I frown, wondering what Lilian could have to say this soon, for I recognize the owl as one of hers.

Remus takes the message, quickly glancing through it. Then, it falls away from his trembling hands. "Oh, Merlin," my husband whispers, looking shocked.

"What it is?" I ask, worried. Has something else gone wrong?

"Olivia's had a dream," he replies, waving the letter in air. "Lucius... She knows about Kathleen now."

As he says this, memories come back to me like a wave of terrifying misery.

()()()

23rd of December, 2000

()

It feels odd to look down and actually see my feet. I've got so used to my round belly that walking around without it, even if only seemingly, feels really strange. In the beginning, I for a moment doubted whether the Concealment Charm is really necessary, but after thinking about it again, I have to admit that it is. We haven't told anybody but our nearest friends about my pregnancy yet, and for good reasons, too. We've seen just how delicate male pregnancies are, and how easily the baby can be damaged. If something that unfortunate really happened, I don't want the loss of my child be all over the headlines through the whole Wizarding World, like I'm sure it'd be if the press knew. Just as well my pregnancy alone would be in every newspaper the next morning somebody found out about it, and that's the last thing we want.

Thus, the Concealment Charm is almost a necessity.

Often I have to fight down the urge to put my hands around my stomach as somebody hurries past me. I can't help but want desperately to protect my little child from all possible harm. Remus and I have been through hell and back together, and this baby will be our price. She's probably the dearest thing in my life right now, besides Remus, of course. I do love Philip and Joyce, and of course Draco, and my friends, too - but it's just not the same. They're not the same as Remus, and our little Kathleen.

I see Severus nearby. He's watching an old wizard, who's, in vain, trying to make his potion correct, but he can't seem to get it thick enough. A bit of Venderroot might do that, I guess.

"Maybe you should put a bit of Venderroot in it," Severus advises friendly. Nice to know I'm not the only one with that idea, then.

The old wizard turns towards him, obviously furious. "How dare you?" he demands with an obvious accent. "I'm the Lead Potions Master of Spain!"

Severus quirks an eyebrow, seemingly very amused. "Really?" he asks. "It's nice to meet you. I am Severus Snape."

The old man stares at him for a moment, his mouth gaping like he was a goldfish. Then he snaps his mouth shut and turns away, but not before murmuring his quiet apologies to him.

Severus and I both notice that he indeed drops a bit of Venderroot into his brew.

Severus notices that I'm watching, and flashes a quick grin to me. I reply with a similar grin. I am genuinely proud of him. I don't think there's a single person in this place who would even consider challenging my friend when it comes to potions. And the best of best are here.

For a moment I wonder where the children are, glancing around. Then I see them, and practically every other child in the whole event, gathered around a large cauldron. Some witch is stirring a potion in the cauldron, and it's sending sparkling, colour-changing bubbles into the air. As the bubbles pop, every one of them lets out a different short melody. The Musical Mess, then - even though nice to watch and hear, the bubbles have a bad habit to colour anything they touch. That's why the potion shouldn't be brewed anywhere else but in large, open places, where the ceiling is either very high or there is simply no ceiling - just like this hall.

Well, let's just hope that neither of the children falls to the potion. Even though I do love them, no matter what they look like, I'd much prefer not to have rainbow-coloured kids running around the Manor on Christmas Day.

Wandering away from the cauldron, knowing that the children are at least at the moment away from any ill-wished deeds, I start to explore all the potions brewed here. Most of the British Masters and Mistresses recognize me, and I greet them all, even talk with a couple. After half an hour or so, I turn back to the place where I started from, seeing even far away that there's still a herd of children around the large cauldron.

As I'm about a hundred feet away from them, I hear as Joyce suddenly screams, and try to run to her. The next second, however, there's a loud bang, and I find myself being tossed away by a huge wave of air. It must be an explosion. Concern and worry for the children fills my mind for a second, but then I feel a painful twinge in my stomach.

The baby, I realize in a flash of a moment. Despair replaces all other feelings in my mind. I can't lose the baby...

Then I fall into darkness and know no more.

()()()

15th of January, 2001

()

I slowly open my eyes. My eyelids feel far too heavy, and the constant pounding in my head isn't usual, either.

As I at last snap back to focus, I see Remus. He's sitting on a chair next to the bed I lie on, watching me concernedly. As he sees that I'm awake, he leans forward, looking relieved.

"Lucius," he sighs, reaching out a hand to wipe a hair off my face. "At last, you're awake."

"At last?" I repeat his words, confused. What does he mean? How long have I been unconscious?

As I voice my question, he smiles sadly. "Three weeks, Lucius," he says quietly. "Three dark, endless weeks that were almost enough to kill me off."

I ponder this for a moment. Then I ask, warily, "Philip and Joyce... What about them?"

Remus bites his lip, and I already know what the answer is. "They're dead," he then says quietly, looking away from me. "I'm so sorry, Lucius... They're dead..."

"Oh." There's nothing else I could say. Our little children are dead, and it's my fault. They're gone, they'll never come back, and it's all because of me.

I should never have taken them there, never, since it's now my fault that they're dead. If only I had accepted Lilian's offer! Then, Joyce and Philip would be all right, and -

Suddenly, I notice how empty I feel. After a moment of thinking, I notice just what makes me feel that. And, as I realize it, I also realize that almost my whole life has been destroyed... Destroyed completely, and I did it myself.

"I lost the baby," I say quietly, knowing that it's the truth. I feel nothing inside me anymore. Our little girl is gone, dead far before she was even born.

Remus nods again, chewing his lip. "You can never carry a baby again," he then says quietly.

I can't say anything so I just nod, begging for an explanation with my eyes.

"The explosion did it," my husband continues with the same blank, unfeeling tone that flows with hidden emotions. "It damaged your temporary uterus so that it got partly absorbed to your body. It can't be fixed, it can't be removed without endangering your other internal organs, and a new one can't be created because it still exists in a way."

I nod again, this time slower. I can't help but think that it's unfair. Not only have we lost all our children, but we can't even have any in the future.

Whatever did I do to deserve this? Better even, what did Remus do? I don't think that even Voldemort himself deserves a fate like this, no matter all the things he did.

I feel his fingers stroking slightly my hand, and I grasp on them. With great effort I manage to bring his hand near enough to place a light kiss on his fingertips.

"You look pale," I then say, for he truly does. He looks like he hasn't been sleeping for the last week at least, regarding to the dark circles around his eyes. He's thinner than before, and his eyes... Oh, Salazar, his eyes...

They used to be beautiful pools of amber glow. Now they are like two fathomless pits, so dark in colour that they're almost as black as Severus's eyes. He doesn't seem to have cried recently - most probably the tears have ended ages ago.

"I know," he replies quietly, his eyes cast down to the floor. "You don't know what it's been like, Lucius... You can't realize how we've been. Severus remembered it all again, and Sirius... Sirius has been trying to keep us both alive and sane."

To this, I can't say anything. I just reach out my hand.

Remus grasps on it.

()()()

I'm startled awake from my memories by Remus, who's frantically shaking me by shoulders. Snapping my eyes open, I see his worried expression. "I'm fine," I try to assure him, but the worry in his features doesn't disappear.

"You'd been half a year without these fits before," he says quietly, "and now you've had two in as many weeks. Are you sure you're fine, Lucius?"

"Of course I am," I continue telling him. "Besides, only the first one of them was about Azkaban."

"But this one was memory also, and you weren't able to snap back from them without help," Remus points out sharply. "It's also a result of Azkaban, even if you don't think about it as such."

"Maybe you're right," I admit, and sigh. "But I don't know what could have caused it." To be honest, I do know the reason, but I can't tell it to him. What would he say if I told that I've been taking a potion that kept my mind under line, but stopped drinking it after hearing that in long-term usage it causes infertility? How could I ever explain that to him? Shit, I'm not even able to explain it to myself wholly!

...But I just can't give up hope, some insane hope that once, one day, we'll have a little baby of our own.

Maybe, just maybe, one day a remedy to our agony shall be invented. I love Olivia, I love her like she truly was our own, but she's still not the same as a little baby, with a tiny nose and tiny hands and feet, and an adorable smile and maybe Remus's golden hair...

Don't think, Lucius. Just don't think...

And especially don't remember.

()()()

This part of the chapter is not from any particular POV.

()()()

"It's done," the Unspeakable said curtly, nodding a bit to Severus as he exited the room he'd been in. The Potions Master thanked him quietly, then rushed to the room where Olivia currently was, fearing the worst.

Just like he'd expected, the girl stood in the middle of the room, her face a blank mask. The change in her memories hadn't yet had time to sink in, and when it happened, Severus wanted to be present. The Unspeakable hadn't allowed him even to the same room as the process had been done, claiming that it was impossible due to his Death Eater status. Honestly, would that one stigma haunt him the rest of his life?

But, at least he could now give Olivia all his support, for he was everything the girl now had for comfort.

"Death Eaters," she whispered. "They - they -" Then, she hid her face to her hands, unable to continue.

Severus let her cry, knowing that she needed it. He knew exactly what the girl had endured, knew it better than anybody should. Olivia was not the only one who had suffered greatly in the hands of Death Eaters.

But, like he desperately hoped, she was one of the last ones.

()

Much later, Olivia had calmed down enough to discuss her feelings sensibly. She was curled up on a couch next to Severus, her head pressed against the man's shoulder, being at any rate just like a little child seeking comfort from a parental figure. Severus, on the other hand, was quietly speaking, answering all her questions, and trying to assure her that she was in no danger from either his or Lucius's direction.

"Lucius has raped women, true," Severus now told quietly. "As well as has killed, tortured, and cursed people without a second thought. But he's never raped children, that's where he put his limits... And nowadays, he's left it all behind. Lucius is not a bad person, Olivia, nor is he evil - he was just led wrong when he was young, and once you join Voldemort, you stay with him, or both you and your loved ones will suffer. He knew that those things were wrong, but he did them because he had to, because he needed to survive. He never _wanted_ to kill, he never _wanted_ to torture, and he definitely never _enjoyed_ it. That's the difference between him and any other voluntary Death Eater."

"What about you?" asked the girl quietly. "Were you voluntary?"

It was like a shadow had crossed Severus's face as he froze for a moment. Then he said, very slowly and his eyes cast down to the floor, "No, Olivia, I wasn't... My father forced me."

"How did he do that?" she asked, still with a very quiet voice. "How did he force you to it?"

"I'd rather not tell," he murmured, now closing his eyes, trying to escape from the painful memories. "Let's just say that there are indeed very good reasons why you should use the blocking potion in this house." While saying this, he gave her an accusing glance. He'd heard from Lilian what the girl had done with the Christmas card. Even though he understood perfectly her shock and curiosity over the odd greeting in the card, she'd just been extremely lucky to drink the Brew of Dreams in one of the very rare rooms in the house where there were none of his bad memories attached to the very space of the rooms. Some other time, she might not be as lucky. Therefore, it'd be the best if she took his caution very seriously.

"So you became spy right in the beginning," Olivia said quietly.

To this, Severus nodded. "Right after I'd been initiated, I went to Dumbledore," he told. "Fortunately, he understood. I was distressed beyond belief back then, I did not know what else to do, so I just trusted that the Headmaster would find a solution to my problem."

"And what about Sirius?" asked the girl slyly.

Severus grimaced before saying, "Well, let's just say that we had a little fight over it... At last, he understood what I had gone through, however, and gave me his full support."

"How did Father turn to Light, then?" asked Olivia, her voice hardly more than a whisper.

"To that, I'm afraid I don't have a true answer," Severus said, shaking his head. "Of course I know the basics - how he switched sides to keep Remus safe from Voldemort - but details are mostly unknown to me. For a true version of the events, you should ask Remus or Lucius, but that obviously is not an option right now," he added grimly. "Unless..." Suddenly, his expression turned from gloomy to cunning. "You know, Olivia, I think I know just the way you could see their sides of the story..."

()()()

5th of July, 1993

()

It was two days after the full moon, and Remus was exhausted.

He was sitting in his kitchen, slowly sipping some tea. Each and every muscle still ached from the transformation, and the deepest gashes hadn't closed yet. Even the slightest of movements hurt, but somehow he'd managed to keep himself in one piece.

If the transformation had been hard on him, the couple of nights before and after it had been pure torture. Nightmares were disturbing him, making him toss and turn in his bed, not allowing him a moment of decent sleep. Dreams of Azkaban, of his friends, and of one man in particular... A man he'd lost, and would never get again himself.

Suddenly, there was a knock on his door. Getting to his feet, Remus quickly walked towards the door, secretly fearing who might be behind it. If Ministry officials were after him, they'd come right after the full moon... Wouldn't they?

He opened the door, and was forced to stare. In front of him stood the very man he'd thought he'd never see again.

Lucius Malfoy stood in front of him, looking absolutely out of place in Remus's little, shabby garden. The Slytherin was wearing his usual black robes, the familiar cane firmly on his hand. Remus knew even without telling that under the left sleeve was the ugly mark that had finally taken Lucius from him.

Now, Lucius looked calm and content - something Remus knew very well he himself wasn't. Forcing his voice to stay expressionless, he said, "Mr. Malfoy. Please, come in."

Lucius stepped past him, the cane accidentally knocking the doorframe as he passed it. For a moment Remus was lost in old memories, where the cane, a sing of authority and superiority, was abandoned as soon as Remus came around. With him, Lucius had always been free of his usual role, free to smile, laugh even, and especially free to say whatever he thought was fitting, even if it was too gentle or personal to ever be heard by anyone else but Remus. Seeing the cane, the very symbol of Lucius's role, hurt Remus.

However, he was not dwelling in the memories too much to hear as Lucius remarked dryly, "You're not very cautious, I see. One'd think that you'd take more care of whom you're letting in your apartment and who not."

Remus sighed inwardly, losing all hopes of getting the old Lucius back. They were far past that point now, had been for what felt like forever. "Like I could prevent you if you wanted to come in anyway," he said with an equally dry voice, closing the door. "It's only a couple of days after the full moon. Therefore, I'm about just as capable of fighting anyone as a deathly ill feather." And that was true, oh, Merlin, how it was true. He was hardly capable of even standing straight, leave alone opposing anyone - especially not the man who'd taught him everything he knew about fighting.

Again, memories took over him, and he bit his lip to prevent a sigh coming out. But how could he forget? Forget all those times he'd trained with Lucius until they were both wet with sweat, then sitting next to each other, his head resting against Lucius's shoulder? Or forget every time Lucius had come to him after the full moon mere moments after his friends had left, giving him potions to strengthen him, holding him as he trembled in slight fever, wiping the cold sweat off his forehead? Forget all those sweet nothings Lucius had whispered into his ear during the long, dark nights?

He couldn't forget, he just couldn't.

Of course he knew that it would never be again, that he'd never again have Lucius in his arms, and that he'd never again lie back in the bed, his head resting on Lucius's muscular chest. This knowledge just made him grasp even tighter on what he had, the bitter memories and the thought of "never again," for he knew it was the only thing he'd ever had of Lucius. There was no taking back what was gone, but at least he could remember what had been, and enjoy the memory.

Leading Lucius further inside, he wondered what the man was after. "Unexpected" was too little to say about this, he'd never thought he'd even see Lucius again, much less in his own house. So, as they sat down in armchairs in his small living room, he did nothing to hide his curiosity from Lucius. The blonde man merely eyed his furniture, not saying anything at first.

After a moment, Remus could not wait any longer. "So, what did you here come for?" he asked, hoping that his thoughts wouldn't shine through his hopefully calm tone. Half of his mind was still glued to the memories of a better time with Lucius, and he was both unable and unwilling to shake himself away from it.

"Lord Voldemort has given some orders to his followers," Lucius said, not batting an eyelid. Obviously he knew that he had nothing to fear, even with this half-confession of his own business with the Dark Lord. "All the werewolves are to either join his forces or die."

"I was kind of expecting this," Remus replied, again telling only the truth. He'd been both waiting and fearing this day ever since he'd first heard of Voldemort's recruits. As a werewolf, he was naturally talented in the Dark Arts, like he'd proved in those lengthy training sessions with Lucius in their young days. "It was only a matter of time until you'd turn your attention to us Dark creatures." Then he looked at Lucius watchfully. "So what are you doing here? Asking me about my choice? Then you can Avada Kedarva me right here on my seat. I'm sorry, but I won't turn to Voldemort." To his great surprise his voice didn't even waver at these words. All these years of thinking about this day, the choice he would be forced to make and wasn't a choice at all, had prepared him well to it as it now finally came. He would not turn to Voldemort, not under any circumstances. It was just plain impossible. Remus might have known all the Unforgivables by heart before his sixth year had been out - a fact that had given him a few benefits in the War - but he was by no means evil, and would never accept Voldemort's Mark. He'd lost Lucius and would never get him back, if his death would at least come from the man's hand and not from some unknown, faceless Death Eater, he'd be more than happy to die for the Light.

"No," Lucius said, surprising him even more. "I came to offer you an option."

Forcing himself not to show his shock, Remus raised an eyebrow, nodding to Lucius as a gesture to tell him to continue.

"I've come to an agreement with Headmaster Dumbledore," Lucius explained with that ever-calm voice that he always used in his role. No matter what his words were, his voice always seemed to be unaffected by any emotions. "You will attend Hogwarts as a DADA teacher the next year. Even if you're fired due to your Lycanthropy, they will keep you safe."

Not believing his ears, Remus just stared at him for a while. This was not true, is it? Why'd Lucius ever do that? "Okay, what are you looking for?" ...It was time to find out the price of his life.

Lucius looked taken a bit aback. "Excuse me?"

Remus let out a frustrated sigh, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. Was the man just playing stupid or did he not really understand? No, it had to be just an act, for what else could Lucius ever do that for? "You understood me very well. What are you after? If it is the most obvious, then I'm sorry, I can't accept this offer. I'm not, and I won't become, anyone's whore. Not for anything, not even for my life." That was a thing he'd always kept sure of. Even when he'd been near starving, he hadn't even considered selling himself for living. In that, he respected himself too much to fall.

Lucius blinked. Obviously he hadn't been expecting this kind of a reaction. "I can assure you," he said, "this has _nothing_ to do with that particular thing."

"What it is, then?" asked Remus, knowing that his voice sounded sharper than it maybe would have, but gone past caring now. "It's well known that Malfoys do nothing for free." Truly it was. Some benefit they had to get from everything, no matter what it was - a business deal or an affair, it was all the same to a Malfoy. This was the conclusion Remus had come to after years of bitterness and sorrow over his lost love. Nowadays, he'd come to accept that it just hadn't been meant to be - not that he didn't occasionally hope for something else, of course.

Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Would you believe me if I told I've realized how wrong I was to ever join Voldemort and am trying to make up for it?"

Remus didn't even bother answering, for the question wasn't worth an answer. He just shook his head, a dry smile curling his lips.

To his surprise, Lucius actually smiled. Then he said, "I decided that I owe you," and shrugged. "I owe you enough to do this. Besides, no matter how this all ends, I'll be on the stronger side - whatever side wins, I'll be near to the most powerful people."

Remus snorted. He should have guessed something like this. "How practical of you," he said dryly. "But I must say that I'm surprised. Your previous statement suggests that you really think whatever Voldemort is doing is wrong." Remus leaned backwards on his chair, resting his head against the back of the seat. The full moon still exhausted him, and this conversation certainly did not cheer him up, nor did the memories it was bringing about. For a moment he considered just leaving his odd visitor as he was and starting to sleep, but didn't. At first, he wanted some questions. "Do you think so?" he asked, watching Lucius intently.

Lucius shrugged. "I'm well aware that whatever the Dark Lord does, must be wrong," he admitted calmly.

"And you still stay on his side?" asked Remus, although a mad tinge of hope had just been born deep inside him. If Lucius truly knew that he was on the wrong way, maybe there indeed was some hope of redemption to him, too...

"Do I have any options?" Lucius scrutinized his long-fingered, perfect hands. How many times those hands had caressed Remus's skin? How many times those fingertips had run along his sides, sending tiny waves of pleasure all over his body? ...No, that wasn't right. Remus forced himself to snap away from the memories and listening as Lucius continued, "I've chosen my side, and Voldemort greatly disapproves traitors. Should I leave him now, I, and my family, would be downright executed. Whatever you think about me, I'm not going to let my son and wife be murdered." Of course not. Lucius might be a Death Eater, but he wasn't evil - not that evil, at least.

"I'm impressed," Remus said dryly, forcing his personal feelings aside for a moment. Lucius wasn't even interested in him anymore, so why even bother trying? "Last time I heard you talking about your family, you were struggling against ever marrying Narcissa Snape. And now you don't want her to be harmed? I could almost think that you've developed some feelings for her."

"She's a good friend," Lucius snapped, a flash of irritation in his silvery eyes. "And whatever I feel towards my wife is nothing of your business."

"No," Remus admitted, "it isn't. It ceased to be my business long time ago." In his mind he was practically screaming against the wrongness of it all, but forced himself to stay calm. Choices had been made, and Lucius's choice of the way of life did not include one Remus Lupin. He should stop hanging on, for he obviously had no hope in the matter.

Something relative to guilt flashed on Lucius's face, although it was so momentary that Remus could just as well have imagined it. Then, however, the Slytherin asked with a careless tone, "What exactly was it? I don't seem to remember. What was the point we stopped being in contact?"

Now, Remus couldn't help but smile lopsidedly. "You really don't remember?" he asked disbelievingly, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "Well, the point _I_ decided to stop was when your name was published in the Prophet. In the list of disappeared." The memory of it still hurt. Reading Lucius's name along with all those others, knowing that he had not been killed but that he'd turned to the Dark Side... It had hurt more than any of the numerous wounds he'd had in his life, from his transformations and, during the War, in battles. And the ache hadn't faded still.

For some time, he'd hoped that maybe Lucius was the spy that was giving them information from the other side. He'd at last given up his hope as he'd realized that Lucius would never put himself and his friends to such a danger just for the cause of Light. If he'd turned to the Dark, he'd done it because he wanted power, not to help Dumbledore collect information of the future attacks.

Lucius now nodded in understanding. For a moment, he seemed to be thinking. Then, startling Remus from his own dark memories, he asked bluntly, "How come you're still alive?"

"Excuse me?" asked Remus, blinking in surprise. Why on Earth would Lucius ask that?

"How are you still alive? I can't imagine you managed without at least attempting to kill yourself. Not with the naturally depressed character you have."

So, always the self-confident Slytherin, certain about his own importance to everyone. "You're overestimating your own value to me," Remus said with a forcedly dry tone, and snorted. Then he sighed, knowing that there was no use to tell lies. Even after so many years apart, Lucius knew very well about his suicidal side. "You're right," he admitted simply. "Fortunately, I had friends who saved me. Otherwise, I would have surely died. It would have been real pity if I died for a bastard like you."

"Don't call me a bastard," Lucius said casually. "I'm pretty certain that my parents were married." And people had called Sirius a smart arse? No, no thinking about Sirius. Too many bad memories... Bad memories that would never fade away, any less than the pain over his loss of the man that was now sitting in front of him. "Besides, I'm trying to save your hide here, endangering my own. One might think that you wouldn't call me names after that."

Remus couldn't resist the urge to sting back a bit. "One might also think that you wouldn't leave me without as much as a goodbye after three years together," he said calmly, but the coldness of polar ice flowing in his mind.

"You should know better by now than to trust my kind," Lucius said with a careless shrug.

Now, this was just too much. "'Your kind' meaning what?" Remus asked sharply. "Malfoys? Slytherins? Death Eaters? Pure humans? Or just people who lure you into their bed on the first day you're of age?"

"You didn't seem too unwilling by then," Lucius said lazily, his mask never wavering.

"I never said I was unwilling," Remus replied, still forcing his voice to be calm. If Lucius could keep up this act, then sure as Hell could he. He was not giving in to this cool man whom he knew to be just a facade. Knew, because once, many years ago, he'd been allowed to look past this facade.

"Well, this conversation is not getting anywhere," Lucius said, obviously attempting a bored tone. "If neither of us has some good points, I think I should just leave."

"Um..." Remus hesitated a bit. He could not let Lucius leave, not this easily, after all these years! Besides, he hadn't even thanked the man yet... At last, he said softly, "Thank you. For doing this for me. I can only imagine what this could cost you if you were revealed."

"I won't be," Lucius said calmly. "Besides, I owe you. That's the reason why I'm doing this."

Deciding to still try to affect the blonde man in at least some way, Remus thought rapidly. If his memory wasn't failing, Lucius had always been sensitive to touch on his hands and arms, just as well as he'd enjoyed touching Remus's hands. Therefore, he reached out his hand to slightly brush his fingers against Lucius's hand as he asked, "So there are no other reasons?" He felt Lucius shiver slightly in response to his thought. '_Ha_,' Remus thought triumphantly. '_The cool and unaffected Malfoy isn't completely made of ice, then?'_ Aloud he asked, "Just because you owe me?" As he said this, he drew his hand back, satisfied with the reaction he'd got from the other man.

Lucius swallowed, he could see it. Seemingly his hopes weren't all that impossible, then. Although even if he had some hope, he still had a long way to go before he could even dream of getting Lucius back again. Perhaps the Slytherin didn't even feel the same way, but just responded to the physical reaction, like he would to anybody else's touch?

"No," Lucius then replied. "Not just because I owe you." The pair of silvery grey eyes were raised to meet Remus's amber gaze. "Also because I don't want you to get hurt."

"Nice to hear," Remus said, smiling slightly. Now, this was definitely more than he'd ever expected. Even if he had to let Lucius go without a single touch more, even if he didn't see the man ever again, he'd treasure these words to the very core of his heart, since he knew how rare it was that Lucius expressed his caring to anyone.

"I figured as much," Lucius said, and the usual coolness was for some reason lacking from his voice - a fact that made Remus very happy.

Remus got up on his feet. He had nothing to lose but everything to win, so better just try even harder than before. "You know," he said thoughtfully, "right after your disappearance I thought you were just spying, or they'd attacked you. I couldn't believe you'd be completely evil." He smiled slightly and glanced at Lucius, allowing his smile to touch his eyes, too. Lucius had always been telling how he loved the way Remus's eyes twinkled in light as he smiled, after all. "Maybe I should listen to my instincts more often, seeing that they were right about this."

"Nice to hear that at least somebody trusts me," Lucius said a bit dryly. "When I told Severus I'd found out he was a spy, he thought that I was going to kill him. Honestly, we'd been friends for seven years at that point! Am I really that horrible?"

"Not horrible," Remus said, thinking about this. No, Lucius was not horrible, he decided, walking slowly to the window and looking out of it. His herb garden seemed to be doing very well this year, but, it didn't matter right now. "Just too controlled. You never let your emotions show. It's sometimes hard to tell if you have them at all, considering how cool you are." And how true was that!

"I have to keep my mask," Lucius said, and Remus's keen werewolf senses caught the sound of the other man standing up as well. "As well as Severus, I have a facade to retain. More often than not, that requires acting cold and emotionless. Showing feelings means showing weaknesses. Besides possibly blowing up my facade, I'd give easy weapons to Voldemort's hands. He knows very well how to use one's weaknesses against them."

"And again, it all comes down to Voldemort," Remus said, and sighed. Voldemort, always Voldemort! The Dark Lord and his followers were the reason of deaths of Lily, James, and Peter, the reason of Sirius's betrayal, the reason why Harry had to grow up with those horrible Muggles... And, more than anything, the reason why Remus was alone, with nobody on his side. Nobody, and especially not Lucius. "He controls your life, Lucius, no matter what you think." He was quiet for a moment, then asked softly, "Was it worth it, Lucius? Was joining Voldemort worth it all?"

He had to know, had to hear it from Lucius himself, whether the man truly regretted his actions or whether he was proud or happy about his past. Whichever answer he would get, it would also tell whether Lucius was even worth his struggle.

But, he had a good suspicion of what the answer was going to be.

At last, Lucius came to a decision - or, more precisely, to the decision Remus had known he'd make. "No," he said quietly. "It wasn't."

Remus nodded, satisfied with what he'd heard. At least something of the former Lucius still remained under that cool facade.

After a moment of silence, Lucius suddenly spoke. "Remus," he said softly, "can you ever forgive me?"

Remus merely watched him at first, wondering whether he'd heard the question right. This was simply too much to be true, too good to be true. Allowing himself the luxury of believing his ears, he smiled warmly at the man who'd once been the center of his life, and would maybe be again. "Consider yourself forgiven," he murmured, reaching his hands out for Lucius.

Lucius grasped his hands, his fingers surprisingly warm around Remus's, feeling comforting to the werewolf who was still in a bit of fever as a result of the full moon. The Slytherin gently pulled his hands to his sides, thus bringing Remus nearer. Then he wrapped his arms on the small brunette's waist, looking him right in the eye. Remus saw only warmth and sincerity in the silver eyes, and he was beyond happy, since he knew he'd won now.

Letting his fingertips run up and down Lucius's back, Remus pressed himself against the body he'd memorized in his youth, but had forgotten in the long, painful years of loneliness. He gazed up and saw Lucius leaning towards him, and he happily reached upwards, his mouth searching for the other man's.

Then, their lips met at last, Lucius's warm mouth brushing against his. Without a second of hesitating, Remus replied the kiss.

()()()

Remus smiled a bit as he, too, led the silvery strand of memories to the Pensieve Severus had brought to them, explaining its function. Lucius had already given his own part, which was, of course, much more than Remus's memories. Maybe Olivia wouldn't need more details than that. It was certainly better that she didn't see anything else, at least nothing that had happened right after Remus's memory of his and Lucius's reunion - no reasons to traumatize the poor girl any more.

But, he had to admit that it had been one of the best days in his life - and that the following night had been even better.

()

Olivia smiled distantly as she at last exited the memories, having seen them through more times than she cared to count. "Thank them for me," she said quietly to Severus, who still sat in the chair in the corner of the room, having waited for her all the time. "I - I truly feel better after seeing these."

"I figured you would," Severus said with an equally quiet voice. "This is the safest way for you to get to know what happened exactly."

"It's not fair, though," Olivia then said, frowning. "Even though you and Father belong to the Light side, you have to bear the Marks like any of the other Death Eaters."

"We all have our own burdens," the Potions Master said. "To Lucius and I, it's these Marks, and the pain they cause..." Just then, they both remembered the day Olivia had found out the true essence of the Marks.

()()()

8th of February, 2004

()

It was only two days after the full moon, and Remus was still exhausted. He was, however, well awake in the sitting room as they were planning their trip to Paris with the Blacks.

At the moment, Lucius was explaining his plans for the trip, his hands vividly waving in the air. Suddenly, he gasped, grasping on his left forearm. Severus did the same, the same pained grimace on both men's faces.

"What's wrong?" Olivia asked worriedly.

"The Dark Marks are burning them," Remus said gloomily, pulling her a step backwards.

"But - how?" the girl asked, astonished. "Voldemort's dead, isn't he? So how can the Marks still burn?" As she watched, Remus and Sirius both walked to their husbands, drawing them into comforting embraces. For some time the men just stood like that, the former Death Eaters shivering in pain, and their lovers slightly caressing their backs, murmuring quietly to their ears.

At last, Lucius and Severus relaxed. With the last comforting words, Remus and Sirius drew back, though they did not stop throwing concerned glances to the direction of their husbands.

"Well, you see, Olivia," Sirius started, "the Marks were a part of the very essence of Voldemort's powers. Therefore, they are made of pure evilness. They're not only evil because of their creator, but they are evil all on their own. Whenever some of the former Death Eaters use enough Dark Arts at the same time, or even if only one of then casts a curse powerful enough, this reflects in pain in the other Marks."

"That's horrible," she whispered. "You haven't deserved any of the pain, and still you're being tormented!"

"Severus hasn't, in that I agree," Lucius said quietly, "but I think I've done more than the pain's worth of evil deeds in my life, and purely on my own will."

"Lucius!" Remus said sharply. "There's no need to scare her!"

"You're right, love," the blonde admitted. "I apologize, Olivia. I should not have frightened you with my dark words, but it's a usual aftereffect of the Mark burning."

"No need to apologize," the girl said quietly. "I just - I just hope that you wouldn't have to go through so much, that's all."

"So do we all hope, Olivia," Remus said quietly, sadness mixing with exhaustion on his face. "So do we all."

()()()

This part of the chapter is from Draco's POV.

()()()

()()()

6th of July, 1993

()

Father hasn't been here for the whole night. Not that I don't know what he's up to, Mother's away all the time with her various affairs. No, the thing that confuses me is that Father has never had affairs before, nor has he ever stayed anywhere overnight without telling me first. I honestly have no idea where he could be right now.

After the lunch, however, a house-elf comes to me, telling me to go to my Father's study. As I do so, I find him, sitting there and waiting for me. He looks oddly tired, like he hadn't had enough sleep last night. Well, if my suspicions of his doings are correct, that's anything but a surprise.

"Draco," he starts seriously, "do you truly want to become a Death Eater?"

"No, Father," I answer truthfully, for we've long since vowed to always tell only the truth to each other. "I'd much prefer not becoming one of the Dark Lord's servants." It's the simple truth; I don't desire to become a Death Eater and have to murder and curse and torture. If I absolutely had to, to keep up our facade, I think I'd become a spy like my Godfather. That way, I could do something for the Light, and still help our family stay alive. I know also that Father will support my choice, whatever it is.

To my great surprise, he actually smiles. Not that I'd expected him to start yelling at me or anything, I know his heart isn't really into the Dark, but it's still surprising. "Good," he says, surprising me even more. "Seems that I've succeeded in at least something in your upbringing."

"Erm... Father?" I ask. "What exactly do you mean?"

"To put it simply, I love a man," Father says calmly. "This man needs protection from Voldemort - protection that I'm not able to give to him, or we'd all get killed. So, I'm spying for Dumbledore, thus buying protection for the one I love."

"So - you're a spy? Like Severus?" It's hard to believe what I hear. Just how many times I've heard Severus trying to talk Father into this, and how many times has Father refused, saying that it'd be too dangerous for him and his family? Too many times to count, that I know for sure.

And now - now he's switched sides, because of one person?

"Exactly, my son," he replies with a little smile. "Just like Severus."

"But isn't that dangerous?"

Now, his expression turns grave serious. "Being a Death Eater isn't ever safe," he reminds me. "I've been living in danger of death ever since I joined Voldemort, both from His's and Dumbledore's sides. What I've done now is just a change in the danger - if I'm found out by Voldemort, not only me, but my whole family is in danger. On the other hand, I now have no fear from Dumbledore."

"All this, for one man?" I still ask. This just isn't at all like Father, I'd never expected anything like this from him.

He shrugs, and says, "I owe him, and I love him. There are more than enough reasons for me to do this, or anything else, for him."

"Tell me who it is, at least," I hear myself demanding. Pitiful, really. Most likely I don't even know the guy, but I want to hear the name of the person who managed where Severus and I haven't.

"He's one you know," Father says, however, scaring me out of my skin. "And his name is Remus Jonathan Lupin."

For a moment I just stare at my Father, gawking stupidly. Of course I know Lupin. And from where? From the list of werewolves that Father let me see a couple of days ago! At last, I manage to stammer, "L-Lupin? But - he's a werewolf! And a Gryffindor!"

"Draco, Draco, Draco," he replies, shaking his head with a disapproving expression. "When will you learn that those things do not mean everything in life? Yes, he's a werewolf, yes, he's a Gryffindor, and _yes_, he's male, which would be enough to make most people disapprove our relationship. He is, however, a man I dated for three years when we were young, as well as the person I slept with last night."

"Ergh," I grumble, "that's already too many details."

A smirk touches Father's lips as he continues, "Plus, he's the person I plan to keep at my side for a very long time, since he's the one I _want_ to be there. Either you learn to deal with it, or you don't - I've come past caring now. I've already given up so much for him, I'm not giving him up, no matter what you say. Of course, I hope that we have your blessing, you are my only son after all, but..." With a shrug, he finishes, "If you can't approve our relationship, I'll be with him without your approval. This is my life after all, not yours."

"Are you kidding, Father?" I ask then, allowing a little smile curl the corners of my mouths. "Of course you have my blessing... As long as you don't expect me to date a Gryffindor, and _definitely_ not another boy!"

"We shall see, Draco," is all he says. "We shall see."

()()()

4th of November, 1995

()

My, my... Severus truly seems to be pissed about something tonight. Not that he isn't irritated all the time, anyway, no, but usually even he doesn't send a seventh-year Advanced class out in tears - at least not Slytherins.

But, then again, he truly has a good reason for it. Because of his knowledge, Pettigrew got caught - but, because he was the only one who knew those things, the Dark Lord now knows that he's a traitor. If my dear Godfather takes a single step out of the castle's grounds, he's bound to be murdered right away. And, despite what everyone thinks, he does not like being closed in one place. True, he tends to spend most of his time in the dungeons and almost never exits the castle, but he doesn't like being _forced_ to it.

He's now hovering over Harry's cauldron, sneering down at the green potion. Green, even though it should be nearer blue at this point. Seems like Harry has it coming...

"Potter, are you awake? You should add those bat ears soon, if you don't want your potion to get spoiled!" snarles Severus, then sweeps away with his brows in a deep frown.

...Poor Harry. He seems truly depressed about Severus's attitude today. Let's just hope the news about his godfather can keep him from being totally down-directed, though. I hate it when Harry's depressed, it makes me angry at anything that made him sad, and it's not healthy to be angry at Severus.

Now, Harry turns to look at me, looking like a kicked puppy. Oh, my poor boy. As I smile at him, he smiles back warily, clearly trying to avoid Severus catching him in it. 'Try to stand him', I mouth silently with an encouraging nod. 'I'll kiss you better after the lesson.'

Harry grins back, and returns my nod. Then he goes back to his work, he doesn't look as depressed as before.

So, I concentrate on my own potion for a while, too. Not that it was difficult, heck no, I made this last summer as Severus was planning his syllabus and it was dead easy even back then. But, it's also easy to burn, and I don't want that to happen. In his current mood, Severus might attack even _me_.

Suddenly, somebody screams, making me almost drop my spoon to the cauldron.

"GRIM! IT'S A GRIM!" the Patil girl screams, her eyes wide like bloody plates. The other Divination-freak doesn't even scream, she just faints. Tsk, tsk, girls. Whatever happened to the infamous Gryffindor courage?

Yeah, I know it's Harry's Godfather sitting in front of the class, not a Grim. Who's ever heard of a Grim with pale blue eyes? Honestly, considering that DADA is most Gryffindors' favourite subject, you'd think they knew at least something we learn in the classes.

"Oh, shut up," Granger sighs, rolling her eyes frustratedly towards the ceiling. "Snuffles is only a dog. Okay, he's maybe big and black, and he probably looks like some imaginary monster, but he's only a dog. Aren't you?" she then asks, smiling at the dog. My, my, Granger, I'm truly shocked. You got it wrong, for the first time in your life! Grims are by no means imaginary, I can assure you, they do exists, and at least the one at our family graveyeard is also doing very well for all I know...

The dog just grins at her like only dogs can. Then he sits down, glancing at the door, where Professor McGonagall is just stepping in.

"What's this, Minerva?" Severus asks, giving the dog a disgusted glance. I'm sure he knows who it is, too. "As you can see, I have a lesson going on in here. And I have clearly forbidden that mutt in my classroom under all circumstances!"

"This is a direct order from the Headmaster," McGonagall replied, her stone face never faltering. Truly, if I didn't know better, I'd think she's one of the schools statues - although even most of them have more expressions than she does. "I have an announcement to make to every class, and this 'mutt' is involved in the events." Very well, I have a good suspicion of what it is...

Harry exchanges a glance with Granger and Weasley, who respond with beaming smiles. Then, he risks a quick glance to my direction. I flash him a smile and a thumbs-up in response of his own, slightly nervous grin. After that he hastily turns back towars the front of the classroom, obviously listening carefully as McGonagall starts to read the rather new and official-looking parchment she took from the pocket of her robes.

"With this announcement, Sirius Black is a free man, who has committed no crimes. He has a public apology from the Ministry, he'll have back his wand and all his properties..."

Oh, yes... Good luck, Harry, you're at last free from your nightmarous relatives! Surely they won't force you back to their care if your godfather is a free man? And, I have a good suspicion that Father just might allow me to stay the next summer in the Black Manor, at least if nobody else knows about it... And who knows, maybe the Christmas holiday, too?

As McGonagall finishes reading the parchment, the black dog transforms back to Black. Patil screams yet again in shock, and Brown faints again. Well, she'd just been conscious for a few seconds, after all. Everywhere around the class other students cry out in shock and surprise - even Slytherins. Really, what's wrong with my housemates nowadays? I bet that Father and Severus would have just raised an eyebrow at this, should this have happened in their ages.

Well, fortunately _I'm_ here to do that for them, anyway.

Black doesn't seem to be affected by all the cries, though. His eyes are firmly locked at Severus, who just stands there, staring at the other man. He looks even paler than usual, if possible, and - oh my, are his hands really shaking? Black walks slowly to Severus, but my Godfather still doesn't move a bit. Is that appropriate behaviour for a Slytherin, hmmm?

At last Black stops in front of him. Nobody dares to speak, we all just watch the two men in front of us. After all, this could result with something rather interesting.

"Well?" Black then asks, raising one of his elegant eyebrows.

Hey, wait a minute, _elegant_? I'm definitely not thinking about Harry's Godfather that way! For Salazar's sake, what has gotten into my mind? Too much time in Severus's companion, I suppose...

"And I didn't believe," Severus murmures with a very quiet voice. Then he very nearly causes me a sudden heart attack by kneeling down to the floor. And this man is supposed to be the Head of our House? I swear, if I ever imagined him kneeling in front of any other than Voldemort to save his life, I'd eat my desk without even salt! "I apologize," he says softly, bending his head down in an almost ashamed gesture. Then he repeats, "I apologize. I should have believed you... Of all people."

Wait a minute again, just _what_ did he just say? Why'd he ever believe Black - they were worst enemies back then, right? ...Or is there something I haven't been told about? This is getting really interesting, now...

Seems that shocks aren't over for this evening, though. There must be some kind of a conspiracy, their only goal to make me die in a heart attack. Black now says equally softly, "Forgiven and forgotten," then reaches his hand out to Severus. My Godfather graspes on the hand, allowing himself to be pulled up. This alone is enough to shock me - even when he's been too injured to even stand on his own, he's never let Father or anyone else help him before he's collapsed and been unable to disagree to the treatments. Then Black seems to forget that there are any other people in the room but he and Severus, and envelopes our teacher in a warm, comforting embrace. "Forgiven and forgotten," he murmures again, his face bent down to Severus's shoulder - he's at least two inches taller than Severus, but he somehow manages to look like he's the shorter of the two. Our dear Potions Master doesn't say anything, but instead he embraces Black even tighter than he's embraced.

I can't help but stare, and I bet everyone other is staring as well. I've seen Father hug Severus, and Severus hug Father, but it's never been like this. Those times, I could always tell that they're friends, just friends and definitely nothing else. But this embrace, the warmth and intensity in it... it reminds me more of the couple of times I've seen Father embrace Lupin. And those times always lead to something much more than just embracing, something that makes me run far and fast.

My, my, Severus, you truly are full of surprises today, aren't you?

Like wanting to ensure that I'm surely going to pass out, McGonagall actually smiles. She doesn't just change her stony expression into a bit less stony expression, no, she actually _smiles_ so that it can be recognized as a vaguely amused gesture. "It seems that the class is dismissed. Away, the lot of you," she says dryly. Even this sudden discovery can't shock her to do more than smile the little she did. Then, she simply slips out of the door like a bloody cat. Well, after all, she _is_ a cat - in a way, at least.

Everyone begins collecting their stuff, chattering with excited tones. Nobody exits the classroom without giving the two men wary glances, though. I'd truly like to stay and hear an explanation for this, but it seems that Harry's friends are also staying, and I can't risk that. So, better be going. I can always come back later...

Oh, what the heck. I'll just simply eavesdrop, right? So, I wait until everyone else has disappeared from the corridor, then cast a simple spell to the door. Before this, I of course check that there's an unused corridor nearby - once a Slytherin, always a Slytherin, and I definitely don't want to get caught by Granger and Weasley.

Harry coughs politely, the ever-goodmannered Gryffindor he is. After a second he says, sounding like he's taking a great effort to keep his voice calm despite everything, "Am I horribly mistaken if I assume that you're maybe something more than only old friends?"

Severus snorts like only a Slytherin can snort - he sounds disbelieving, despising, angry, and definitely above everyone at the same moment. "Oh, no," he replies dryly with his stop-talking-nonsense -voice. "I walk around hugging men every now and then. Haven't you noticed?" That's it, Godfather, try sarcasm when you're too confused for anything else. Not that Severus isn't sarcastic otherwise, too.

"We even got engaged once," I hear Black's voice, with a half bitter, half sad tone glowing through even though he tries to sound happy, for Harry's sake, no doubt. "They took the ring from me when I was thrown to Azkaban. I hope they still have it."

After a second, Severus's voice comes through to me. "They don't," he says with a hoarse voice. Shit, he didn't sound hoarse even when he'd been screaming for half an hour under Cruciatus in the last battle! Will the surprises ever end today? "I kept it as well as my own. I have your wand safe as well." ...Well, I'm just stuck with surprises.

"All these years," Black whispers pathetically. "Even when you didn't believe..." Honestly, how sappy can this get?

Then, I hear Severus. "I maybe didn't believe," he replies, sounding like he's smiling, "but I never gave up hoping." So, here I get my answer. It _can_ get _this_ sappy.

"Romantic Snape," Weasley murmurs. "I think I'm going to be sick." For the first time in my life, I almost agree with the weasel-boy. Not that Severus didn't deserve some happiness, no, he's been through Hell and back and definitely deserves anything good coming to him, but... This is just plain weird.

"Hush," Granger hisses. I don't like her tone the slightest, though. Something in it gives me the impression that she doesn't approve the situation any more than Weasley does.

For a moment, it's completely quiet in the room. Then Weasley makes a choked sound. "Ergh," he growls. "Romantic Snape involved with Sirius. I have to get out of here!"

...Uh-oh. In an instant, I back away to the small corridor next to the classroom door. And not a second too late, even. Just as I get out of sight, the door bangs open, and Weasley rushes out. Just seconds after him, Granger exits the classroom, and they both practically run away.

...So much of hoping that they might some time, in the distant future, approve our relationship.

As soon as they have disappeared from the sight, I return to my previous place behind the door. "Pity," Black says, sounding sad. "What a pity." Then he askes, with a slightly worried and not a bit nervous tone, "Does this disturb you, Harry? I know that most of the people don't like gays. And I know that you don't like Severus very much..."

It takes all my willpower to keep from bursting into laughter. "That was the understatement of the year," I hear Severus murmuring with a hint of dry amusement in his tone. "Or maybe more like something along the lines of the understatement of the decade."

Harry chuckles. "You aren't serious, right?" he asks, amused. "Can you really imagine that I'd walk to my boyfriend and tell him, 'By the way, I just decided to not to talk with my godfather anymore, because he happens to be a gay and is engaged with your favourite teacher. Give me a kiss now.'" Yeah, always the ah-so-subtle Gryffindor, I see.

For a moment, it's completely silent behind the door. Then Black asks softly, "'Boyfriend'?"

Severus, in turn, says with an equally soft and a little bit amused voice, "Favourite teacher'?"

...Now, this seems to be a good place to be involved in the discussion. I push the door ajar, peering inside. "Ah, there you are," I say cheerfully as my eyes catch Harry. "I've been looking for you." I then step inside a grasp Harry's hand, not too tenderly, I admit. "Would you mind if I stole Harry?" I ask from the two men, not bothering to hide the mischievous glint in my eyes.

Black actually snickers. "We have nothing against it," he says, obviously doing everything he can not to start laughing. "Go ahead if you want him," he adds, winking at me.

"Thanks," I say, then grin and slip my arm through Harry's. "Oh, and congratulations for you two," I add, glancing at their hands. Just like I'd suspected, silver rings shine in their left ring fingers. There is a sapphire attached to each of them, and they look very nice. After this quick examination, I drag my boyfriend out of the room, determined to get out of sight before those two get to something even more shocking.

"Sorry that I didn't come earlier," I say apologetically once we get outside the classroom. "But with your friends there, it felt best not to stay. So when I saw them leaving, I decided to come in to check back on you. Only to make sure that you hadn't killed Snape, you know."

"Say it like it is," Harry commands with a teasing smile. "You couldn't hold back your curiosity, so you came back to see what was going on." And this guy calls himself my boyfriend? I'm sure that Severus knew for sure that I was eavesdropping, but no, not Harry, he'd never even suspect something like that. Always the trustful Gryffindor, I see.

"Maybe," I grin, not wanting to break his naive beliefs - those are part of why I love him, after all. "Or maybe I just decided it would be best to take you out from there before those two couldn't control themselves. Who knows how traumatic a show it would have been to you to see your godfather and most hated teacher making out in front of you?"

"I think that on that point I'd have run away like Ron and Hermione," Harry chuckles. Then he looks like somebody had hit him with a knife. He's obviously upset about his friends' reaction, and I can't really blame him from that. Homophobic gits.

"Ran away?" I echo, still trying to give him the impression that I know nothing of what happened after I left. "So they're homophobic, are they?" His sad expression is more than enough of an answer to me. "Oh, my poor boy," I sigh, drawing him into a tight embrace, my fingers drawing small circles to his back. "Don't worry, love. I won't let them upset you." Then, I give him a slight grin, trying to cheer him up a bit. "Hey, at least you don't have to worry about your godfather's attitude towards us, right? And I don't think that Lupin would be any more upset - I mean, he's been Black's best friend for half of their lives. I'd be completely surprised if he didn't know." Not to mention that I know for sure what way Lupin swings, but Harry doesn't need to know that. Father'd skin me if I told anyone about his little affair, and I truly mean anyone. Only Severus and I, and maybe Mother know about the fact that they're together.

"I don't know if he knows about Sirius," Harry murmurs, "but at least he knows about us."

Well, _now_ I'm surprised. "Err... You didn't say what I heard you say, right?" I ask. Maybe I misheard it or something... "Our werewolf professor doesn't know about us, right?" It's bad enough that he's bedding my Father, I definitely do not need him knowing about _my_ affairs!

"Yes, he does," Harry replies, lookin slightly amused. He clearly enjoys my shock. Stupid brat, is this how a true boyfriend behaves? I ought to strangle him, I ought to hit him, I ought to kiss him... Wait, that's _not_ being angry. "He had somehow found out. He talked to me about it on one of my extra DADAs with him a month ago. He seemed to be only happy, nothing else."

"What if he tells somebody?" I ask, playing worried. I think I manage rather well. "Snape and your godfather won't tell anybody, not after seeing your friends' reaction. But he doesn't know how they'd take that! And if he doesn't know about my father... What if he tells?" Oh my, I'm surprising even myself, I didn't know I'd be this good an actor. Of course Lupin knows about Father, shit, it was him for whom Father became a spy!

"Calm down, Draco, dear," Harry smiles. "He can keep a secret. Hell, if he hasn't told Sirius - and he hasn't, you saw how surprised Sirius was - then why'd he tell anybody else? To be honest, I'm much more worried about Snape."

"Why?" I ask. Well, now I'm truly confused. Whyever would Severus tell anybody? "He'd never tell anybody! First, he doesn't want to spoil dad's mission, and second, he doesn't want to upset your friends."

"I don't think so," Harry says bitterly. "I think that he'll be only glad to have something to use on his advantage against me. He's made my life a living hell these past years! I don't see any reasons why he'd stop now, Sirius on his arms or not! He'll probably tell everyone during some Potions lesson, and then we'll be both as good as dead - Gryffindors will kill you and Slytherins will kill me!"

So that's it! Now I understand Harry's fear. "He's my godfather, he'd never do that to me. And he isn't that bad, you know," I smile. He truly isn't that bad, just snappish, easily angried and cold-mannered, never showing his emotions - a typical Slytherin, that is. "It was all only keeping up the Death Eater facade. And when he doesn't have to keep it up any more..."

"What do you mean?" Harry asks. It's seemingly his turn to be confused. "He's still a spy, right?"

Doesn't he really know? "No, he isn't," I say, smiling a bit sadly. I truly pity Severus, although I know he'd kill me if I ever said it aloud. "Didn't you know? The knowledge needed for capturing Pettigrew came all from him. This time Voldemort found out who was behind the betrayal. He knows that Snape is a traitor. He can't leave Hogwarts for a single moment, or they'll kill him the same second he steps outside."

"Oh." Harry is very pale. It isn't until now that he realizes just how serious a game we're playing. If Voldemort has discovered one of our spies, the same might happen again. "So there's only one good Death Eater remaining, right?"

"Right," I say, nodding. I can't help but look sad. Our game is truly dangerous, to us all. "My father. We have to hide this even more than before, if we want to defeat Voldemort."

"So I'd better hurry to the Gryffindor tower," Harry points out. "See you tonight." He pecks me quickly on the lips, then runs away.

I watch as he disappears to the corridor, feeling oddly empty like always when he leaves me alone. Then, not being able to hold back my curiousity, I creep back to the classroom door. Like I expected, it's locked. Pressing my ear against the door, I use my eavesdropping charm to get past the silencing charms they've obviously placed on the door.

"Merlin, Severus, do that again!" Black's voice gets to my ears.

"Eager, aren't we?" Severus's familiar, silky voice replies. "Now, let's see how you like this..."

I step backwards, struggling against the overwhelming urge to throw up. That was definitely more than I want to know about my Godfather's sex life.

* * *

A/N: I must say that I greatly enjoyed writing Draco's POV, trying to change all those events from Harry's half-POV to his was truly an interesting quest, because I had to try to retain his, shall we say, _unique_ attitude to everything... Plus, as we just saw, he sees more details than Harry. So, as I'm on a good mood now, I'm giving you a teaser from the next chapter! _Eleven times._

_Eleven times, I've attempted suicide. Fortunately, I haven't managed yet._

_I can only wonder when that'll happen._

_It's hard not to blame myself for it, even though I know that it's the wolf that makes me suicidal. I just can't help feeling that I'm betraying everyone whenever I press the blade against my wrist, whenever I weigh the poison phial on my palm, whenever I step to the edge of the window slide to fling myself down to the ground. There's no way to help that feeling, because I know it's true._

_Still, I try again every time._

* * *

ATTENTION! If the Malfoys changed Olivia's name, which would you like to be her name? Suggestions, people, suggestions! My own idea stopped right at my beta... ::frowns::

And review!


	17. Dark Memories

Disclaimer: JKR owns them all. I only own Olivia, Philip, and Joyce Malfoy, Lilian Snape, Aurelius and Joseph Granger, and anybody else you don't recognize from the books.

A/N: My most hearty thanks to **Lyssepoo **for betaing this chapter!

Also, almost everyone (not all, though) seems to agree that Olivia's name is the most fitting for her. Therefore, she'll keep her name. 'S so simple.

A big thank-you to those flamers: You were what kept me writing.

WARNING: Very angsty and dark things ahead, momentarily lost mind, attempted suicide, implied rape and murder, etc.

* * *

..Our little one. .

Chapter Seventeen

Dark Memories

* * *

This part of the chapter is from Remus's POV.

This chapter is partly flashbacks.

* * *

Eleven times.

Eleven times, I've attempted suicide. Fortunately, I haven't managed yet.

I can only wonder when that'll happen.

It's hard not to blame myself for it, even though I do know that it's the wolf that makes me suicidal. I just can't help feeling that I'm betraying everyone whenever I press the blade against my wrist, whenever I weight the poison phial on my palm, whenever I step to the edge of the window slide to fling myself down to the ground. There's no way to help that feeling, because I know it's true.

Still, I try again every time.

I don't even know why I'm doing it, for I certainly don't want to die. Not when I'm in my right mind, at least. Unfortunately, my state of mind is the sum of many things - other people's doings, my own recent experiences, and especially the phase of moon. Ten out of my eleven attempts have been within a few days' range after the full moon, done in my usual post-full moon depression.

Curiously, my depression seems to be tied to other people. During the twelve years I spent alone - not Lucius, not my friends, not anybody on my side - I didn't attempt suicide a single time. I'm especially dependant on Lucius, and whatever is going on with him.

Five days after Lucius and Narcissa's wedding, I sliced my wrists. On his birthday the next year, I took poison. When my birthday, the day of our first time, came the next year, I jumped from a window on the fifth floor. After my silverburn, I'd spent just a few days in the Manor as I already tried to kill myself. Once, during Lucius's time in Azkaban, I sliced my wrists, and when he just kept crying and blaming himself after the childrens' death, I tried to drown myself. About that time, he doesn't even know - Sirius and Severus, who saved me, promised not to tell him if I, in turn, promised not to do that again.

Two times, I did it only because of the distress and uncertainty caused by of the Second War. Once after Severus's accident, then another time after Sirius's motorbike accident - we truly thought he was going to die - and, one time, just because nothing seemed to have any purpose anymore.

Merlin, I'm pathetic.

At this point, I maybe could name my favourite way of suicide. Well, I've cut my wrists five times, which is the record. I should maybe know at this point that it isn't going to work - my wrists are crossed with scars at every place as a proof of my still on-going foolishness.

I've seen how it hurts the others. They come to me, not asking anything else from me than that I wouldn't hurt myself and thus the others. And I'd want to promise them that, Merlin, how I'd want to, but it's not under my power to make a promise like that.

I no longer control my own being in that matter. I don't think I have ever since I was bitten.

We all just hope that I'll be unsuccessfull for still a long time to come.

Merlin, I hope that I could stop these thoughts... Why are they even coming to me, anyway? I usually only think about my suicides after the full moon. Now, there's nothing that could bring those thoughts to my mind...

Nothing, but Olivia being away.

Gods, I want to die. I love that girl, I really do - she's maybe only been a few months under our custody, but she's still a daughter to me. Babies are dear to their parents from they day they are born! Okay, so there's the nine months' pregnancy to prepare the baby's arrival, but still... When have I been able to deny love? Just look at my family; we're maybe an odd combination, but we love each other. And love is what makes a group of people a family.

Olivia is undeniably a part of our family, but she's now away.

If I could, I would go and strangle Weasley...

No, no. Don't think like that. Thinking about other people's death always leads me to suicidal thoughts. I don't want that to happen again, for I might manage to take my life.

And if I died now, what would be left for Lucius?

Merlin, Olivia... I honestly hope that Severus will be able to bring you back to us. He's a Slytherin; he should be well capable of winning two trials, especially against a Gryffindor like Weasley.

A Gryffindor, truly. This is what has become of me: A man valuing people of his own House lower than people from the other Houses. It is, however, very clear that while the other Houses were supportive of all of our relationships, be it Harry and Draco, Sirius and Severus, or Lucius and me, it was always Gryffindors who couldn't stand the fact that we were gays.

I'm beginning to feel ashamed of being a Gryffindor.

I don't even feel like a true Gryffindor anymore. Is it possible for an adult to be resorted? Maybe I should ask Dumbledore.

No, really, sometimes this 'bravery' is very useful. It keeps me going.

Like that time I was in Azkaban.

It isn't like I'd done anything, no - although I didn't know it at that point, of course. The Ministry men just came after one full moon - it was June 1985 - and arrested me, suspected of a murder. I, like all the werewolves of the area, spent the next month in Azkaban, not even knowing whether I was guilty. Of course, I didn't believe it - I'd locked myself inside, like I did every month - but in Azkaban, all I could think of was that fateful night when I almost killed Severus.

It was a nightmare. Truly, it was - I still sometimes have nightmares about it. And still, it wasn't even half as hard as when Lucius was in Azkaban.

I knew that my imprisonment would be over after the next full moon, either to freedom or execution (by that time, guilty werewolves weren't put to Azkaban, but killed). But when Lucius was there, I couldn't know whether he'd come back or not...

And if he came back, whether he'd be the Lucius I knew and loved.

At first, it looked like he wasn't.

* * *

This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

* * *

10th of September, 1998

Remus watched the fireplace impatiently, waiting for a face to appear in the flames. As soon as Severus's head arrived there, he sighed in relief despite his shock and sorrow.

"Severus," he said in an agonized voice. "Severus, they took Lucius! He didn't even get inside the house when they were already taking him away! And one of the Aurors... spoke about Azkaban..."

To his great shock, the Slytherin nodded wearily. "I know," Severus sighed. "We didn't hear about it until this morning, otherwise we would surely have warned you. They accused Lucius of being a Death Eater, which he can't very well deny."

"But he was on our side!" Remus exclaimed. "They can't punish him!"

"Tell it to the Ministry," the Potions Master replied gloomily. "We're currently trying to fight against them so they won't put Sirius there for being an unregistered Animagus."

Suddenly, everything clicked into place in Remus's head. "The Weasleys," he realized. "They're doing this to us!"

"They damn well are," Severus sighed. "The boy himself turned Sirius in, and the whole family, minus Charlie and Percy, is claiming that Lucius never attended to any Order meetings."

"Which he did, but under a disguise," Remus said quietly. "And which we can't prove in any way." He felt tears rolling down his cheeks, but was too tired and upset to care. "Damn them."

Severus didn't say anything.

* * *

Remus felt tears rolling down his cheeks. It hurt him to even think about that; it hurt.

And it'd been even worse when Lucius had come back.

* * *

24th of February, 1999

"Here's your husband, Mr. Malfoy," one of the Aurors said. "We're sorry for all trouble we've caused you." He didn't sound the tiniest bit apologetic.

Lucius merely sat there, his eyes locked on the wall. Slowly, Remus walked nearer, hoping desperately that this was just a bad dream.

"Lucius?" he asked quietly, placing a hand on his husband's arm. "Luce, please, wake up..." However, the blond did not respond. His eyes stayed empty, his expression blank. He did not show any signs of recognizing Remus.

"Uncle Lucius?" a little voice asked behind him. "Uncle Remus, what's wrong?"

"Hush, Philip," he sighed. "Uncle Lucius is... tired. Very tired." He could barely prevent tears escaping his eyes.

"Unca?" little girl asked, walking around the chair. She looked at Lucius for a moment, then at Remus. "Remiz is sad," she observed.

"Yes, Joyce, Remus is very sad," he confirmed, then bent down to pick her up. He hugged her against his chest like his life was depending on her.

"I wanna Unca Luc," Joyce said then, reaching her arms towards the unmoving body.

"I don't know..." Remus said hesitantly, then sighed. Maybe Lucius couldn't talk to the children, but at least he was there. There was no point to stop them being with their uncle. So, he gently put Joyce into Lucius's lap.

"Unca Luc?" Joyce said sweetly. "Unca Luc?" She hugged her uncle tightly. "Unca Luc, wake," she commanded gently. "Remiz is sad."

For a moment, Remus felt like the time itself had frozen. He surely had imagined the little movement of Lucius's eyes... Hadn't he?

Then, almost shocking him to death, Lucius's eyes snapped back to attention. "Joyce?" he asked hoarsely. "Joyce, why are you here?"

"You woke, Uncle Lucius!" Philip exclaimed in delight. "We can live with you and Uncle Remus, they said so! I and Joyce live here now!"

"Philip... Remus?" Lucius looked around himself, searching for his husband. At last he saw the werewolf, and, after gently putting Joyce on the floor, got to his feet. "Remus," he whispered. "I saw you... You were dead... They said you were..."

"I'm not dead," Remus said firmly, at last failing to keep the tears back. "Nor are you. And you're not in Azkaban anymore, either. You're home." He took a couple of steps forward, reaching for Lucius.

Lucius also reached out for him, then pulled him into tight embrace. "Remus," he whispered again, still sounding disbelieving. "You're here. You're real. You're alive."

"Yes, I am," Remus replied. "And so are you." He hugged Lucius tightly, not wanting to let go.

"Philip and Joyce?" Lucius asked then. "Why are they here?"

"Luciane is dead," Remus said emotionlessly. "And her husband went to Azkaban. Ministry officials found the children, and, you being their only living relative, brought them to me. They are the only reason I'm still alive," he added quietly.

"They live with us?" Lucius asked, sounding like he still had difficulties understanding what he heard, which most probably was the case. He looked at the children, who were watching each in turn; Joyce looking careful, Philip smiling broadly.

"Yeah." Remus loosened his embrace a bit, taking a step backwards. "Severus brews Wolfsbane for me, and he also comes over at full moons."

"And Sirius?" Lucius asked. "Harry? Draco? Are they all right?"

"Harry and Draco are more well than anyone," Remus said carefully. "Harry's only playing Quidditch his first year as a professional, and he's already being begged by every team. Draco's living happily with him, but Sirius..." His voice trailed off, and he bit his lip.

"Yes? What about Sirius?" Lucius looked carefully at him. "Something is wrong with him, right?"

"You're right," Remus whispered, now crying openly. "He's in Azkaban, too, Lucius. For being an unregistered Animagus. He got a year's sentence last October."

Lucius didn't say anything. Instead, he hugged Remus even tighter than before, tears rolling from his eyes also.

Joyce and Philip looked at them, not saying a word.

* * *

A ragged sob burst out of Remus's chest, and he pressed his head against the desk. He didn't honestly know how much more of all this he could take without breaking. This was too much; at first Olivia discovering the truth about Lucius's accident, and now the fear of losing the teen. Too much to think about, and almost too much to handle.

But not that much. Not yet, at least.

However, as his eyes caught a glint of light on the blade of his penknife, his fingers almost subconsciously crept towards it.

Just as his hand prepared to curl around the fine, ivory handle, another hand fell down on top of the knife, stopping him from grasping it. Raising his eyes to the intruder, Remus looked right into the sad, concerned eyes of his husband.

'_I'm sorry, Lucius_,' he thought to himself. '_I'm sorry for disappointing you yet again..._'

'_But I can't really help myself._'

* * *

This part of the chapter is from Lucius's POV.

* * *

Merlin, Remus... Has it already come down to this?

You avoid my eyes, not wanting to meet my gaze. Don't be ashamed, dear. It's not your fault; it's your curse's fault. And, as much as it pains me to say this, I cannot blame you for giving in to the curse.

I've seen what it can cause. Lycanthropy has a greater power over the werewolf than most people even realize. Maybe, one day, we shall find a way to break that control, not only during the full moon but in everyday life, too.

But by now, that's not possible. I can only fear, and hope.

Oh, well. I had a reason to come here. "I just received a message from the Ministry," I say quietly, taking the penknife away from Remus's desk and tucking it safely into my pocket. "Tomorrow, a trial shall begin. During it, we'll discover whether Olivia belongs under our custody, or the Smithsons'." Then, unable to hide the bitterness in my voice, I continue, "If we win that trial, we'll have another, versus the Ministry's Family Department. Weasley's going to give Olivia to any other family rather than to us; even if it means that some other gay pair will have her."

Remus nods slowly, digesting everything I said. He tries to keep up a calm mask, but he cannot; he's not as skilled in hiding his emotions as Severus and I. Even though he tries to avoid my gaze, I manage to catch the hopelessness in his golden eyes, and the despair.

The cold fingers of fear curl themselves around my heart. I remember all too well what has happened too many times I've seen those feelings in his eyes. By the first time, I didn't realize to watch him more closely. The memory of what happened next is still haunting me.

I almost lost Remus that time - and all the others, I know that. And I also know that I couldn't have prevented it. After the first time, I thought I could have, but later, I've realized that I cannot blame myself. I cannot blame anyone, since I cannot blame Remus himself for it; he's just a helpless victim of his curse.

Even if it was his own hand that pressed the knife on his wrists.

* * *

4th of June, 1995

Remus has been a bit distant lately. So, I decide to visit him, even though it's not my usual visiting time. Surely that's not a problem, though - I usually visit my lover any time I only can, so he's pretty used to my surprise visits by now. And, for anything I know, he likes them just as much as I do.

When I open the door of his cottage, the first thing I notice is the silence. I frown, becoming wary in an instant. It's never this silent when I usually visit - Remus has a little habit of singing when he's alone, so the silence never falls for a long time. So, if it's silent, something has happened.

Maybe the Death Eaters have attacked, and...

I command myself to stop that train of thought. Surely nothing is wrong. Remus has just gone outside for a while, or he's decided to take a nap - it's only a couple of days after the full moon. Nobody with malicious thoughts could ever get even near the cottage, thanks to the wards Dumbledore has set around it. The wards are strong enough; Dumbledore wouldn't risk his spy's loyalty by making the wards too weak.

Still, I have my wand in my hand as I quietly walk further into the cottage.

As soon as I step into the tiny living room, my nose catches an alarming scent. There's the smell of blood in the air. My eyes dart hastily around the room, searching for a sign of what causes the smell.

Then I see it. There, behind the couch, is a foot. As I half walk, half run nearer, I realize that it's Remus.

Remus, lying on his stomach on the floor, blood pooling around him.

A strangled cry escapes my lips as I kneel down next to him. I cannot help the trembling of my hands; I'm too shocked. As I carefully turn Remus around, I notice the source of the blood.

There are two tidy slices across his wrists. The cause of them is a little knife that I now see on the floor, its blade covered with blood, obviously dropped there by Remus's hand.

I whisper the first healing charms I can think of, then start hurriedly looking through my potions bag. After a moment, I find what I'm looking for - a mild Healing Potion, and a stronger blood replacement potion. Somehow I manage to get every drop into Remus's mouth and down his throat, despite the fact that my hands are still trembling.

His chest rises slowly as he breathes in, then it falls down again. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding in, relief covering all other feelings in my mind. With a murmured incantation, I clear all blood from the floor, then I lift Remus to my arms. Breaking the blade of the bloodied knife with my heel, I start carrying Remus around the couch to lay him down on it. After doing that, I sit down next to him, slowly petting his prematurely greying hair.

A quiet lullaby, learnt when Narcissa used to sign Draco to sleep, comes to my mind, and I start quietly humming. I have to concentrate on it; have to drive all other thoughts from my mind, since otherwise I'd be too overdriven by all the questions in my mind.

The time for the questions will come later. Right now, the only thing that's important is Remus, and the fact that he's still alive.

* * *

I hope I could at least say that it was the only time I've caught Remus trying to kill himself. Alas, it was not. Ever since our reunion, other than the time I was in prison, I've attempted to be as near to Remus as possible, especially during his post-full moon depression. Therefore, I've also been the first one at place when he's attempted suicide, too many times.

The whole of six times, to be exact.

* * *

20th of June, 1996

"Remus?" I ask quietly, pushing the door to the small library open. "Are you there?"

To my great surprise, I get no reply. So, I step inside, searching for him.

My heart misses several beats as I finally spot him. Remus, my precious Remus, lies on the cold stone floor, unmoving. In his right hand he's holding a small, black phial I recognize all too well.

I have to confirm my suspicions, so I run to his side, carefully taking the phial from his stiff hands. A quick sniff tells me that I am indeed right. Somehow, Remus has got the Draught of Nefertiti from my stocks and drunk it.

The question is now, can I still save him?

With slightly trembling hands, I point my wand at him, whispering a quiet incantation. Then, as he slowly rises to the air, I run to the nearest mirror.

"My laboratory," I command, pressing my ring against the cool glass. In a second, the clear surface of the mirror has turned into silvery mist. I levitate Remus through it, then step after him myself.

I have to be extremely careful now. The laboratory is full of silver, since I know that Remus strongly dislikes any laboratories and wouldn't go there - even though with the anti-smell potion he got full points in his N.E.W.T.S., he still very well remembers what it was like to him before. Fortunately, I've left the space in front of the mirror completely empty, and can safely lower my beloved to the floor.

Pointing my wand towards the stock shelves on the opposite side of the room, I murmur, "_Accio_ Blue Crystal Liquid." I don't really trust myself to take the right vial, not when I'm this distressed and risking so much. My own life I would trust to myself, of course. But not Remus's. Besides, this is faster than running to the shelf myself.

In a flash, a little vial flies to my hand. Uncorking it, being careful not to spill a drop of the precious liquid, I take the vial to Remus's lips. Then I pour the liquid to his mouth, praying desperately that I was fast enough.

For a moment, it seems like I wasn't. A horrible numbness replaces all other feelings in my mind as Remus just lies there, unmoving, showing no signs of life.

After a moment, however, he draws a long, ragged breath, his whole body shaking in the effort. Mere seconds later he stirs and opens his eyes slowly, blinking a couple of times.

"Remus," I sigh, in more relief than I've probably ever felt. "Remus, thank Merlin, you're all right..." Collecting him to my arms, I embrace him tightly. It isn't until now that I notice the tears rolling down my cheeks, even though they most probably have started falling some time ago. For a moment, I'm shocked - I can't remember when I'd cried for the last time. Then I realize that I don't care, I don't care about anything, not as long as Remus is alive and safe this time, too.

"L-Lucius?" he whispers, now focusing his gaze to me.

"I'm here, Remus, I'm here," I reply. "And I'm not going to leave you."

"Oh..." Now, he notices my tears. With a quiet voice, he sighs, "Lucius, I'm so sorry... I know I shouldn't have done that, but I just couldn't help myself..."

"Doesn't matter," I say firmly, loosening my embrace a bit. "What matters is that you are alive, and here. Nothing else is important."

I just hope I could stop my heart from running.

* * *

20th of May, 1997

It's amazing how well two people who hate each other can get along when they really have to. I mean, my family and Black's have been the worst enemies about forever, and yet we manage to at least stand each other. Not that we had many options, anyway, with Severus being my best friend and his husband.

Black knows that I'm on the Light Side, as well as the truth about me being George Johnson. Because of that, and because of Severus, he's managed to accept the truce between us. Just as well, I manage to deal with him because of Severus - and because of Remus, but that he doesn't have to know.

And yet when I came here a week ago, he fell to my arms, sobbing and crying like a lost child. In front of Severus he keeps up a mask of calmness that almost makes me think that he's in fact a Slytherin, but otherwise, he lets his feelings come out.

And now, he can shoq his feelings even less to Severus. That's why it's only me with him as we both walk towards Remus's quarters - he's going there to talk with Remus, and it wouldn't do to have Severus around.

Remus. For all Black knows, I and Remus are some kind of friends. Friends, and nothing more. He thinks it began when I saved Remus from the Death Eaters after he got that silver burn, and we both let him think that. It's the better for him that way, after all.

I begin to fear the worst as soon as Remus doesn't answer. Glancing towards Black, I see that he's crumbling his eyebrows. Obviously he doesn't like the silence, either - we know for sure that Remus is there.

And as we open the door with a quickly whispered 'Alohomora' his Animagus senses catch the scent of blood just moments before I notice it. However, he's on Remus's side before me, kicking the pen knife away in disgust.

"No... not again," I whisper as I kneel next to my secret lover.

"What do you mean, 'not again?'" asks Black, glancing sharply towards me.

"I've seen this before, Black," I say quietly. "I've seen this before. Did you know he tried to kill himself soon after his silver burn?"

"So it was you he was staying with during his recovery?" he realizes.

I simply nod. "The Manor was the last place anybody'd looked for him at," I then say, trying to stay calm as I try to focus on the healing charms I'm casting. "Besides, Narcissa has basic medical education, and I'm one of the best Potions Master in the country. There was no better place for him at the time."

Black seems to doubt that, but he doesn't question my words. He just watches quietly as I at first finish healing Remus's slit wrists, then dig for a vial of healing potion from the bag on my hip. As I pour the potion down Remus's throat, Black says, "We should get him to the Infirmary."

"So we should," I say, putting the vial away and rising to my feet. Neither of us says anything, but still we understand each other in one shared gaze. We're not in the best of terms, but worry and concern for Remus drives all our differences aside for some time. Therefore, Black knows that it's up to him to take Remus's body to his arms, lightened by my faint levitation charm.

It's already late, so we don't have to worry about students seeing us. We hurry towards the Infirmary, neither saying a word. At the door, Black hesitates - that place holds some very bad memories for him, and very recent memories at that. However, as I glance at him encouragingly, he nods at me and pushes the door open with his foot.

I turn away, not following him in. However, my heart is all the time with Remus's unmoving body as I go away to inform Severus of what has happened.

* * *

18th of November, 1997

Draco's been bad, so I'm staying at Hogwarts for some time to put some sense into his head. At least this is the story everybody else hears if they ask for the reason of my visit to the school. The real reason, of course, is that I want to be near to Remus, but other than us two, only Severus and Narcissa know that. The other Order members think that I'm here by Voldemort's order, which is partly true - he's only happy that I am here, as he hopes that I might be able to kill Severus. This far I've managed to make him believe that a murder is impossible because of Dumbledore and especially Sirius, who never leaves his husband alone in my presence. That's half true also - if I didn't know better, I'd think that the Blacks are glued together.

It's quite amusing, in fact, how nobody seems to think of Severus as a Black. When I walk in the corridors, I always hear the students talking about Professor Snape, even though that hasn't been Severus's name for a year and a half now. He himself seems to be slightly irritated by that, but not too badly. "Once a Snape, always a Snape," he said when I questioned him about that. "At least I know I've made an impression on them."

Right now, I'm with Severus. We're going to visit Remus - or, more to the point, I'm going to visit him, and Severus is my cover. I try to look reluctant when Severus drags me through the crowded corridors towards my lover's quarters, even though I need all my willpower not to run ahead of him. Everybody must think that I'm being forced there by my friend. Nobody can know about us.

When Severus knocks on the door, nobody answers. Alarming memories come to my mind, but I force myself to stay calm. Severus knocks again, then simply whispers the password and yanks the door open. He pushes me inside, then slams the door closed behind us.

Remus is not in the room. Warily, our hands near our wands - or mine is near my wand, Severus's is near his potions phials - we walk further to the quarters. I slowly push open the door to his tiny library, and peer inside.

"My god," I whisper quietly. "This cannot be true."

But it is. There, in the middle of the room, is a single form. It is Remus - his feet two feet away from the floor. The reason of this is a rope, a rope connecting his neck to the ceiling.

In an instant, Severus is next to him. I murmur a simple cutting charm that cuts the rope, dropping my beloved to my brother-in-law's arms. Severus carefully lays him down on the floor, immediately starting to take the rope away from Remus's neck. As soon as it's away, his fingers search for a pulse.

I watch my friend, fearing the worst. To my great relief, Severus at last nods slowly, a worried expression still on his face. "He's alive, but just barely," he says. "We have to get him to the Infirmary."

I nod, already knowing that I cannot be with Remus when he wakes up. It pains me, almost as much as it pains me that I had to find him this way. Well, it's better that we found him in time, anyway.

Casting a lightening charm, I raise Remus's unmoving form into the air. I cast an Invisibility Charm - the students don't have to know what's going on with their DADA professor. Severus takes it upon himself to lead our way to the Infirmary, while I walk behind Remus, making sure that nobody runs into his body.

Pomfrey looks surprised when she opens the door and sees Severus and I. Then her astonishment turns into horror as I drop the charms around Remus.

"What - what did he do this time?" she asks with a wavering voice.

"Tried to hang himself," I reply, surprising even myself with how calm I sound. "Severus insisted that we should bring him here." Nodding slightly at Severus and then at Pomfrey, I say, "I have to leave now. I think that you are well capable of taking care of Lupin." Without waiting for her response, I turn around and walk away.

As soon as I get to my quarters I fall to my bed, unable to stop the tears that are falling from my eyes at an increasing pace. I cry for Remus because he felt like he had to do this, I cry for the fact that I almost lost him, and I cry for the fact that nobody can know how much I care about him.

Later, at the dinner, I hear as Minerva McGonagall hisses to Professor Sprout about how heartless I am, leaving a dying man without a second thought. But I don't cry, I cannot do that. I force myself to look steadily ahead, ignoring the witch's hateful whispers.

But when Severus later arrives to my rooms, looking very tired, and tells me that Remus will live, I cry for relief and sorrow and all the other feelings I have to keep inside. My friend doesn't say or ask anything, doesn't question my feelings. He just holds me until the tears have ended.

* * *

29th of October, 2001

My senses alarm me as soon as I step into the sitting room. Something is wrong; I know it. There's something in this room that is disturbing me.

And as soon as I see a foot from behind a couch in the middle of the room, so disturbingly similar to the sight I met when I firstly caught Remus attempting suicide, I know what's wrong.

Hasting towards him as fast as my cane and slightly aching leg allow me to, I curse myself in my mind. I knew Remus was depressed, like he is after every full moon. And yet I'd done nothing to prevent this from happening. If I now lost Remus, it'd be wholly my own fault.

And yet, how could I have been able to know that he was going to kill himself?

He lies on the ground, deathly pale, a tiny phial crushed in his hand. So, it's poison this time. Most probably from my own stocks.

Damn me. I should know better than leave my laboratory open and unattended this soon after the full moon.

I kneel down next to him, carefully placing my cane just next to me. If it rolled away, I couldn't get up by myself, and that would not do in this situation. With trembling hands, I search for a pulse. It is there, but it's very weak - almost too weak.

A sniff of the phial tells me enough. Not the Draught of Nefertiti this time, no; the potion he's drunk is just a simple sedative. It has some Wolfsbane in it - it cannot harm a normal human, thanks to the other ingredients' neutralizing effect, but to a werewolf, it can be fatal.

This time, I don't hurry to my laboratory. I don't have a medicine - why would I want to cure another medicine's effect? - and I don't have to hide my relationship with Remus. I can take care of my husband openly this time.

So, I take my cane and force myself to my feet. A quick charm lifts Remus from the ground and to my arms, and even before it does I'm already moving, carefully walking towards the fireplace. I throw some powder into it, calling for the Blacks.

Very soon, Sirius's head appears to the flames. As he sees what I'm carrying, his eyes widen. "He didn't -" my friend starts, then sighs, and shakes his head. "No, don't say it. He did."

"I need your help," I hear my own, blank voice saying. "I cannot get him to the hospital safely, I might accidentally drop him."

"Very well. I'll arrive there in a second." And truly, a few seconds later, he stands in front of me, wiping soot away from his clothes. He glances at my load, and I understand, handing Remus's unmoving form to his arms. Then I steady myself with my cane, since I almost fall down as a result of the shock and my attempt to find my balance again now that I don't have Remus in my arms.

Sirius glances at me understandingly. Then he nods towards the fireplace, and I understand, tossing some more Floo Powder into the flames. "St. Mungo's Hospital!" he roars, steps into the flames, and is away.

I follow him, fearing that all this has taken too much time. Too much of Remus's precious lifetime.

Half an hour later, I and Sirius both sit in the waiting room, as well as Severus - he arrived right after he heard where we are. The mediwitches and mediwizards cannot say yet whether they can save Remus or not. Therefore, all we can do is to wait for some news, some news about Remus's life or death.

I'm crying and I don't even notice it, not before Severus lightly nudges my side and hands me a handkerchief. I take it thankfully, trying to dry the tears that still continue falling.

I cannot lose him. Not this way, not through his own hand, and not at all. I've already lost so much. Philip and Joyce will never come home, and Kathleen was never born - do I now have to lose my husband also? Weren't my children enough to the cruel fate?

At last, a mediwizard arrives to speak to us. "Are you Remus Malfoy's relatives?"

I dry the last tears and manage to say, "I'm his husband..." His gaze immediately becomes a bit friendlier, and I begin to fear the worst.

"We're also family," says Severus as the mediwizard gives him and Sirius a questioning glance. Well, they are, in their very own, very odd way. But the mediwizard doesn't need to know just how they belong to our family.

"Very well." The mediwizard sighs, then says, "I'm glad to tell you that he will live. We managed to get all of the potion - or, a poison to him - out of his body in time. He'll need some time to recover, but he's not in danger of death anymore."

I let out a deep sigh. "Thank Merlin," I whisper quietly. The tears don't show any signs of stopping; instead, their speed and amount just increases. But this time I cry of relief and joy, not of fear and sorrow. And that difference is very big.

It's sometimes the only difference between life and death.

* * *

9th of March, 2002

Remus doesn't reply as I enter our shared personal rooms, even though I know for sure he's there. This, of course, immediately alarms me. With the recent events and the full moon just a couple of days ago, I've been trying to keep an eye on him at all times. Now, however, he's been unattended for an hour - and I might already be late.

The scent of blood seems to attack my nostrils as soon as I open the door of our bedroom, even though I know there must only be a slight hint of it in the air. Fear and concern are sharpening my senses.

Not behind a couch this time. No, he lies on the bed, the blood trickling from his wrists and colouring the white silk sheets a rusty red colour. For a moment I wonder how he got anything to slice his wrists with - wiser from the previous times, I've hidden everything sharp. I even have his wand with me; he himself pleaded me to take it just before the full moon, knowing full well what he could do. After just a second, however, I notice the solution. As he hasn't been able to transfigure anything into a knife or use magic on himself, he's resorted to another way and broken the small mirror that used to be on his night stand. One of the largest pieces of glass, its edges sharp and cutting, is still clutched in his hand.

I've got a healing spell on my lips almost before I have my wand out. Sitting next to him on the bed, I murmur the quick charm, then sigh in sheer relief as the fingers of my other hand find a faint, almost nonexistent, pulse. Of course he's not saved yet, but there's a good possibility that he might make it.

I don't know how long I sit there, watching him quietly, the blood pooled on the bed slowly spreading to my robes as well. The next thing I know is Remus stirring in my arms, then slowly opening his eyes, and instantly closing them again.

He cannot say anything, he just cries. I embrace him even more firmly than before, holding him tightly near to me, murmuring sweet nothings into his ear.

I hold him while he cries, and I cry myself, too, silent tears that fall down my cheeks and drop into Remus's hair, making it wet. He doesn't seem to notice.

The only thing he notices are his wrists. A wheel of healing magic is still whirling around each of his wrists, but it's still easy to see all the scars marking his skin. There are other scars also on his body - although less now, after his silverburn - but those aren't half as scary as these. The scars Moony has caused or those he's received in battles aren't anything compared to these ragged lines that cross the pale skin so many times.

Those aren't anything, since only these scars Remus has made himself.

I reach out a hand and trace every scar with my fingertip, gently and lovingly, then move my hand to his neck. The mark that was left there the time he tried to hang himself has almost wholly faded away, but some of it is still visible on his thin, pale skin. He turns his head away in shame, but I don't stop petting his skin, over the scars and to the unharmed skin, only to meet new scars on the way.

He cries, and I hold him, and we stay like that until we both fall asleep.

* * *

This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

* * *

Olivia eyed the potion in her cauldron. "And now, I just add a lock of my hair?" she asked.

"Just that," Severus agreed, dropping a lock of black hair to his own cauldron. "Then, stir it twice clockwise and thrice anti-clockwise - just that way, right - and wait until you see the first bubble. After that, we have to bottle it."

"Right," the girl smiled, watching the potion closely. As she saw the first bubble coming up to the surface, she smiled smugly, then took the cauldron away from the fire. With the air of experience around her, she at first poured the potion into smaller pots, then from the pots into the small phials they'd labelled earlier that day. Next to his own cauldron, Severus was doing the same.

Severus glanced at Olivia. She seemed to be relaxed, which was the sole purpose of doing this. The previous day had been bad enough, with her at first discovering the truth about Lucius's pregnancy and then getting her memories back to her. She had to be calm in the trial next day, and as she was much like Severus himself, the best way to calm her down was to let her brew as complex a potion as possible.

And the Patronus Potion, if anything, was complex enough.

It wasn't like the potion took a lot of time to brew, no, a mere hour was enough. But all the ingredients, the way they have to be prepared, the order they had to be added in, it took a lot of concentration. Most people could never accomplish the potion. It didn't take super human skills, no, some of his students had managed to make it on their sixth or even fifth year, but it required a knack for Potions, which very few people possessed.

Olivia, however, truly had that knack.

Finishing corking his phials, Severus glanced at Olivia, who'd just done the same. "Now, they have to prepare themselves in the phials for some time," he advised. "In the meantime, you'd better read your notes over. The Voice Quills are useful, but sometimes people forget the point if they don't themselves write things down." As she obediently started to revise her notes, he cleaned both their cauldrons and the pots with a few drops of the Washful Liquid he'd brought with him. As usual, he didn't have his wand with him, and besides, Olivia needed to know how to live without wand magic.

Quickly glancing over his own notes, the Potions Master then started to check his own potion phials. Seeing that the brewery was preparing well, he moved to Olivia's potions. "It's now ready," Severus said then, raising one of the phials to the air and eyeing it watchfully. "You ought to try it."

Olivia nodded. "Do I just open it? Or do I have to do something else as well?" she asked.

"Well, you can open it," Severus replied. "These phials, however, are charmed to be unbroken. Taking them into a hand cancels the charm temporarily, so they become fragile. Usually tossing them to the ground is faster than opening the phial, and if you're in need of a Patronus, you also need to get it quickly."

"I'll try that, then," Olivia smiled. She took the phial and looked at it. "I'm curious to see what form my Patronus takes."

"I am, too," Severus smiled. He then nodded, indicating that she ought to throw the phial to the floor.

Olivia raised her hand. Then she brought her hand down in a quick motion, and the phial broke on the cold stone floor, shattering to thousands of tiny pieces.

A cloud of silvery mist broke out of the phial. The two watched in quiet fascination as it started to gather on one place. After a second, it started to take a recognizable form.

Suddenly, Olivia screamed and backed away, her eyes wide with fear. Severus's jaw hung open as he stared at the girl's Patronus.

It was the Dark Mark.

* * *

"The Dark Mark?" asked Lilian disbelievingly after hearing their explanation. "Are you really sure?"

"You think I could mistake it?" asked Severus bitterly. "Yes, I'm dead sure it was the Dark Mark. I can show it to you, if you want - and if Olivia can handle that," he added, taking a quick glance at the girl.

"Yeah," she replied, smiling faintly. "It was just the shock; I wasn't prepared to see it. From your stories I'd gathered that a Patronus is usually an animal or something."

"So it is," Lilian said levelly. "Mine is a falcon, Narcissa's a fox. Harry has a stag, Lucius has a snake, Remus, appropriately enough, has a wolf, and Draco's is a lion - most probably symbolizing Harry."

"And what about Severus and Sirius?" the girl asked, a small twinkle returning to her eyes as the fear slowly moved aside.

"Severus's is a panther, for all I know," smiled Lilian. "And as for Sirius... Well, his Patronus is a dog. Or, rather, a Grim."

"Sounds fitting," the girl said, smiling a bit, albeit weakly. Then, however, she frowned. "But why is mine the Dark Mark, then? Why it's not an animal?"

"Let's see it at first," suggested Lilian. "I'm in fact curious to see how that sign of Darkness can be a protector of anyone."

Without saying a word, Severus took a phial from his pocket, uncorking it. After a second, Lilian's eyes widened as she saw the silvery skull and snake. Severus stayed unaffected this time, and even Olivia only flinched a bit.

"Very well," mumbled the witch. "You're truly a special creature, little one. But it still doesn't seem logical."

"Say what you wish, but there must be a logical explanation for this," Severus muttered, eyeing the vanishing Patronus. "Let's see. So, a Patronus is supposed to be 'the heart's protector.' Olivia, whom do you think of as your greatest protectors?"

"Father, you, and Dad," she replied immediately, her voice wavering just the tiniest bit.

"That's it," the ex-Death Eater decided. "We're all connected to the Dark Arts - I and Lucius as former Death Eaters, Remus as a werewolf. And what'd be a better symbol for us, especially to me and Lucius, but the Dark Mark?"

"You mean, it's like you stood in my protection?" questioned the girl, managing a weak smile despite her still lingering shock.

"Exactly." Eyeing the girl and the cup of hot chocolate Lilian had told the house-elves to bring her, he said, "Now, finish your drink. Then we'll go and collect the other phials. You also have to finish your notes, or this lesson has gone for nothing."

"Nothing can push you off your track, right, Severus?" smirked Lilian.

"Not many things," admitted the wizard.

Both the witch and the Ciddle smiled at him.

* * *

Hermione tossed and turned in the bed. She couldn't sleep. The trial, which would start the next day, was distracting her mind.

Ron didn't seem to be distracted by her fidgeting. Her husband slept soundly, seemingly not worrying about the trial at all. Ron was sure that they would win the first trial, and that the second one wouldn't even be needed. If the girl wasn't under the Malfoys' custody anymore, there was no point suing them about not taking proper care of her.

Still, she wasn't entirely sure if it was the right thing to do.

Wait. Of course it was the right thing. What else could they do? Gays were dangerous, they were _wrong_. They were the reason Aurelius wasn't alive anymore.

...Aurelius...

* * *

5th of May, 1987

Hermione had always loved her brother. Loved, and adored. Aurelius was everything she wanted to be when she grew up, smart, good-looking, and kind. He was the type everyone liked, and especially his little sister. He'd always been kind to Hermione, helping her with anything she needed help with, talking with her, making her feel important.

Today, however, Aurelius was not there. He'd left with some of his friends earlier that evening. Now, it was late, and he wasn't back. Her parents didn't say anything, but Hermione knew that they were worried.

Even more worried they became as a police car drove into their front yard near midnight. Hermione peered to the door behind her mother's legs - she missed Aurelius too much to go to sleep - and watched the police officer with wide eyes.

"Are you Joseph Granger?" the officer asked. Hermione heard just her father replying that yes, he was, and the police asking whether Aurelius Granger was his son as her mother ushered her back to her room and then went back herself.

Some time later, Hermione's mother came to her room. The girl sat up on her bed as she saw her mother was crying. "What's wrong, Mum?" she asked worriedly. "Where's Aur?"

"Aur won't come home, Hermione," her mother had replied thickly. "Aur won't come home... Bad men did bad things to him. Aurelius is dead, Herm..."

And at that moment, little Hermione's world shattered into tiny pieces.

* * *

Tears stung in her eyes as she remembered Aurelius. Good, clever Aurelius, who'd been fifteen as he was beat, raped, and killed by some drunk men.

If she could help it, nobody else would have to suffer the same fate as Aurelius. Gays were wrong. She had to fight against them.

But still, Hermione couldn't help a sharp twinge in her heart as she tried to settle back to sleep.

* * *

A/N: The next chapter: **The First Trial**

Lucius shows his weak side, and in the trial, Severus is the star of the show. Olivia speaks sweetly, a Jarvey taunts our heroes, and Lucius is simply disgusting. Severus also has a secret - one he doesn't know of himself, not until a comment from Lucius triggers new memories...


	18. The First Trial

Disclaimer: I only own any OCs.

A/N: I thank you all for your extreme patience. I also thank **Airiel** for betaing this chapter.   
As well, I want to make it known that I'll be trying to get to chap 22 before Christmas, although I'm not making any promises.

* * *

..Our little one. . 

Chapter Eighteen

The First Trial

* * *

 This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV. 

This chapter is partly flashbacks.

* * *

On the morning of the trial, Remus woke up very early. He felt more nervous than he had for a long time. Unable to get anymore sleep, he chose to get up. 

His choice of clothes was obvious. Getting dressed in his official robe, he desperately tried to remember where he'd left the Wolf's Staff the last time he'd used it. At last, he spotted it in the back corner of his wardrobe, half-hidden behind a robe he almost never used.

Chuckling dryly at this, Remus reached out to get the Staff. What would have the other werewolves have said if they'd known how much their leader respected the signs of his position? Of course, they couldn't have done anything even if they'd known and disapproved. The Ministry may have thought they'd set him into his position, but it was not so. No werewolf would have listened to him if he had simply been named to be their leader. No, it was all about alphas. And nobody could challenge him, not now and not for a long time to come, that he knew for sure.

"Remus?" asked a quiet voice. "Care to help?"

As he spun around, he saw Lucius sitting on the edge of the bed, like he did every morning. Lucius was very well capable of getting to his feet by himself - if he only had his cane for support. As it was on the other side of the room, however, that was now impossible. It was like this almost every morning - either Remus helped him to the bed at night or he just limped across the room, either way, the cane was not with him when he woke.

Not even thinking twice, Remus walked to his beloved. Offering his hands in an all too familiar manner, he waited until Lucius had grasped on them, then pulled the other man up. After that, he helped Lucius to walk to his cane, oblivious to his husband's usual protests. Even though Lucius could limp around some short distances, Remus knew that it hurt him to do that without support. And he'd do anything to prevent Lucius experiencing more pain than he'd already had.

Nodding his silent thanks to the werewolf, Lucius now went to the wardrobe, taking support from his cane. It used to be just a usual cane, once, but after the accident and the discovery that he'd never walk properly again Lucius had got his wand attached to it, as he never went anywhere without it. Usually, however, Lucius used it as a mere cane, like now. Leaning lightly against his trusted support, he began looking through his clothes.

After a moment, Lucius got his clothes on. As this was an official occasion, in a way, at least, he was wearing his white Potions Master's robe. He'd also decided on a dark grey belt with a snake-shaped silver buckle. Ten years before, it'd been pure silver - now, it was only silver-coloured. Olivia's jewellery was the only exception in the Manor from Lucius's rule "not taking risks with silver." Having almost lost his husband to the cruel metal, Lucius had no desire to raise the chances of anything like that happening ever again.

At last, however, they got themselves ready. "Ready to go?" asked Lucius quietly, extending a hand to his husband.

Remus nodded silently, not saying a word. Then he grasped the offered hand. "Let's go," he said just as quietly.

* * *

"I see you have taken my advice from word to word," Severus said dryly, eyeing the girl. "That's good. Appearances are really important." 

Olivia nodded. Severus had advised her to look as much like a Malfoy as possible, and she'd done her best. Not only she was wearing a green dress robe with silver snakes on her necklace and earrings, as well as her seal ring, she'd also picked the colour of the robe very carefully. Her hair could never be the same platinum blonde as Lucius's, but now it seemed to be almost exactly the same colour as Remus's -- minus the greying, of course -- and the robe also brought out her grey eyes. There was no chance that anybody might miss the point. She was a Malfoy, and wished to remain as such.

"Now, before the trial begins, you'll have about five minutes in the courtroom to be with Lucius and Remus," explained Severus to the girl. "I don't have to tell you to use it to your advantage the best you can, do I?"

"No, you don't," Olivia replied softly. "I really want to be with them. I know it hasn't been a long time, but it still feels bad."

"Well, don't worry," the Potions Master said reassuringly. "I've been researching all possible laws considering this kind of thing, and I think I've already found something to make sure we win this trial."

"Good," sighed the girl in relief. "I mean, she _is_ my mother and all, but still..." Shaking her head slowly, she said, "I'd much rather stay with Dad and Father than go with her and some strange man."

"Then let's go and make sure that you will, shall we?" said Severus, trying to sound cheerful. He seemed to managed well enough, as Olivia also flashed a smile to him.

"That's right," the girl said, looking only a bit pale. "Let's go."

And so, they did.

* * *

Draco hurried towards the courtroom. Just when he was stepping in, however, he noticed somebody standing right behind him. Turning around with his usual Malfoy grace, he came face to face with Ginny Weasley. 

"Weasley," Draco spat, and his expression was one of pure disgust. He surveyed the young witch from head to toe with a disapproving gaze. "I see you haven't changed your hairstyle," he said at last.

"And what's wrong with my hair, may I ask... _Malfoy_?" the woman asked, the equal disgust evident in her greyish-blue eyes.

"Malfoy only until June," the wizard said cheerfully. "And about your hair, well, you know what they say... 'Redheads don't get to the Heaven,' wasn't it?"

"Maybe redheads don't get to the Heaven," Miss Weasley repeated, imitating mockingly his intonations, "but blondes can't find their way there!"

"Well, that's interesting," Draco said to response, raising an elegant eyebrow in the ever-cool Malfoy way. "Were you just insulting me, my father, or my sister?"

"What's the difference?" she snorted. "You're all the same. Mindless, heartless, soulless blonde bastards."

"Well, the difference is quite big," Draco said, taking a step forward. His hands were clenched to fists. "If you were insulting _me_, then Harry will sort you out. If you were insulting my _father,_ then Remus will. But if you were talking about my _sister_... Then, we'll all gladly take care of you, so to speak."

"Are you threatening me, Malfoy?" Weasley asked, raising her nose in disapprovance.

"Glad you caught on so soon," he replied with a dry laugh. "One might think that with that bush you call your hair and that hole that is obviously your mouth, there wasn't any room for brains in your head..."

"Now, now, Draco, that is quite enough," Lucius said calmly behind him. "Miss Weasley," he added, giving the witch a curt, but by no means friendly, nod.

"Mister Malfoy," the witch replied just as coolly. "Well, I'm _so_ sorry I have to leave your company, but I really have to go." And with that, she spun around and walked away.

"Well, well, wasn't that a warm welcome," said Lucius dryly. "So tell me, son, where's your husband-to-be?"

Draco sighed. "Harry wanted to come, but he had practices, and their coach would not take 'no' for an answer," he told his father. "Not that he even needed practice, anyway."

"Hm. The downside of being engaged to the best Seeker this country has ever seen, I'm sure," Lucius said calmly. "Now, shall we go in?"

"Sure, Father," replied Draco. "Where's steppy?"

"Right at your neck, if you say that again," replied Lucius calmly. They both knew that Remus disliked a very few things as much as being called "steppy" by Draco.

Draco grinned at him. "Just trying to light up the athmosphere," he said. Then he fell serious again. "Well, we'd better get into the courtroom, don't you think?"

"Exactly." And so they did.

Remus stood in the courtroom, glancing nervously around himself. Soon the trial start would that'd either take Olivia away from them or give her to them for a short time before the next trial. Even though Severus had firecalled them just the previous night, assuring them that he'd win the trial, the werewolf couldn't help but be doubtful. They'd already lost too many children. He didn't want to lose Olivia, too.

"Dad!" said a quiet voice behind him. As he spun around, he was immediately met with Olivia's shining eyes. Without even thinking, he stepped forward and closed her in a warm embrace, one which she returned.

Olivia took full advantage of her change to examine Remus closely. The werewolf was wearing something that looked like an official suit - or if it wasn't one, she couldn't imagine why he'd ever wear anything like it.

Unlike his usual dark blue or green robes, or the black and brown ones he occasionally wore, Remus was now wearing a golden velvet robe with a slightly darker belt -- she saw a golden buckle on it, shaped like a wolf's head. The robe brought out the golden freckles in his otherwise amber eyes, but flattened the effect his silver-gold hair.

Not only the robe was new to her, but also the long cane Remus was holding. The long, golden staff ended in a metal head. It was shaped like a leaping wolf that carried a large, round full moon on his back. All this was made of pure gold, except a silvery shade on the underside of the figure of the moon.

Remus noticed her astonishment, and chuckled slightly. "These are the official robes of the Keeper of the Wolf's Staff, and the staff itself," he explained. "As this is, in a way, an official occasion, I'm required to wear these."

"Just like I'm required to wear my Potions Master's badge," said Lucius with a slight smirk, "and Severus has to wear his own." His smirk got even broader as he continued, "You should have seen the Ministry's Potion Master's face as he saw us. Well, he wasn't even a Potions Master -- he's qualified enough to brew Veritaserum if needed, but never passed his final test. And now he saw the Lead Potions Master as a mere lawyer!"

"There's never anything 'mere' about Severus," snorted Remus. "Just wait and see. As soon as he steps in, the courtroom will be his." Turning towards Olivia, he then asked, "Where is he, by the way? Didn't you come here with him?"

"Yes, I did," admitted Olivia, "but he said he had to check something, so Sirius brought me the rest of the way here." She gestured at the younger -- even though only by a month -- Black, who was standing some way from them.

"Hi," Sirius said as he walked a bit nearer. "Don't worry. Severus said he might know a trick that can get you off the hook easily."

"I hope so," said Lucius with a bit doubtful frown. "I do fear, however, that it will be by no means easy. If we truly could win easily, Weasley would not have contacted Maria Smithson and had this trial, but instead concentrated all his energy on the big trial."

"Well, I don't know what it is he's going to do," Sirius said, shrugging. "But he said it should work."

Olivia then noticed something on the man's black robes that she hadn't before: a strange, flame-shaped badge. "What's that?" she asked curiously, pointing at it.

"This? Oh, it's my Ministry official's badge," replied the man with a grin. "Severus hates his own, so he rarely even wears it at work, even though he should, really. For some reason, he's never been reluctant to wear his Potions Master's badge all the time."

"And yet it was him who opposed loudest when the Seer's Guild tried to make wearing their badge in official situations compulsory to all members of the guild," said Lucius with a smirk. "If I recall right, he said that he'd part from the Guild if that was to happen. As he was the only first-level Seer they had at the time, they had little choice but obey him."

"Nowadays, there are at least nine first-level Seers," said Remus, "and most of them wear their badges all the time. So, let's just hope for Severus's sake that they don't bring the compulsory badge-wearing up again," he added with a mischievous grin.

"Now, where would they ever get that idea?" asked Sirius with a mock-innocent expression. "Hey, I know. I'll tell Severus that if he doesn't manage to win this trial today, I'll send owls to all the other first-level members of the Seer's Guild and remind them about the issue."

"That might even work," said Lucius dryly, although a slight smile did touch his lips. "For some reason, Severus has never been as fond of his Seer's talents as he is of his Potions Master's ones."

"Probably because I didn't want the kinds of that old hag Trelawney hanging all over me," the man in question said right from behind him. "And if you dare to even consider contacting other Seers about the badge issue, Sirius, prepare for a year of celibacy. I will _not_ wear that thing in public!" This made Olivia blush slightly and giggle, Sirius and Draco smirk, and Lucius and Remus exchange desperate glances.

Severus did not look "mere" anything, on that Remus had been right. He was wearing his official robe also. Even though his highest rank was that of a Potions Master, he was now in the position of a Ministry official, and thus had the same simple black robe as his husband. His chest was adorned by three golden badges: the flame of a Ministry official, the diamond-and-ruby-adorned potions phial of the Lead Potions Master, and the simple cauldron of a member of the Alchemist's Guild. The last one was similar to the badge Lucius had on the front of his white robes, although the eldest Malfoy's Potions Master's badge lacked the rubies that surrounded the diamond on Severus's.

Almost as soon as Severus had come in, the judge came to the place and settled on her seat in front of the courtroom. Everybody took seats, the Malfoys, Blacks, and Severus's fellow official from his own Department to one side, the Magpies, Ronald Weasley, and another official to the other. The random audience settled on both sides behind the main characters of the trial.

As the judge tapped her desk, Severus, Weasley, and their fellow officials rose from their places and walked to the two large desks that were facing each other in the middle of the courtroom. Olivia rose also, like Severus had told her to do, and sat on another chair about halfway between the official's desks and where the other Malfoys sat. When everybody had again got seated properly, the judge nodded to Weasley. "Let the trial begin," she told him calmly. Weasley stood, a parchment in his hand, and started to speak.

"Olivia Malfoy, or, as she will be addressed in this trial, Olivia Darkholm, has been under the custody of Remus and Lucius Malfoy ever since the 12th of November last year. However, now her mother, Maria Smithson nee Magpie, has asked for custody over her daughter. This trial's purpose is to decide whether Olivia Darkholm will remain as Olivia Malfoy or become Olivia Smithson." The judge nodded again in approvance, and Weasley took another parchment from his pile.

"I'm here to defend Maria Smithson in this case," the redhead started his speech. "Mrs. Smithson lost her daughter when Olivia ran away from home because of her father's, Mrs. Smithson's previous husband Marcus Darkholm's continuous abuse. After this, Olivia was attacked by Death Eaters, and put into a wizarding orphanage, where the nurses tried in vain to restore her lost magical powers. Misters Malfoy and Malfoy gained the custody over Olivia in a primary adoption on the 12th of last November, at which point Mrs. Smithson had already divorced her abusive husband, but had no knowledge about her daughter's current whereabouts. Now that she's found out where her daughter is, she wants her back.

"I'm claiming that Olivia Darkholm should be returned to her mother. Mrs. Smithson is surely capable of offering her daughter a steady home, and she and her husband Johan Smithson are surely capable of giving her an example of a healthy marriage, which she surely needs to see after her broken childhood. Without a usual heterosexual couple somewhere around, she hardly can get any picture of what a normal relationship between a man and a woman should be. Also, having been abused by men, it cannot be healthy for the young girl to live without women, and instead be surrounded by men. As her magical powers haven't been restored, either, it would be better if she were kept away from the Wizarding World and instead in the Muggle World, where she can better learn how to live without magic."

"Very well," the judge said, nodding slowly. "And you, Mister Black?" she then said, glancing at Severus.

"I'm here to defend Remus and Lucius Malfoy in this case," Severus said calmly. "After losing their children in an unfortunate accident, they planned to adopt a child and give them a wealthy, loving home. They gained the custody over Olivia Darkholm in a primary adoption on the 12th of last November. After this, they have taken excellent care of her, until this trial came about. Now they want to have their adopted daughter back, as she's been forcefully taken from them.

"I'm claiming that Olivia Darkholm should stay with her current guardians. They have managed to gain her trust, something that the nurses in the orphanage didn't. Also, as she has been abused by _straight_ men, itwould only be wise for her to see that not all men are evil, and see this in a calm, peaceful enviroment, where no other disturbances come about. She's gained a loving family beyond her and her parents -- something that Mr. and Mrs. Smithson don't have to offer to her -- which also includes heterosexual couples. Also, it surely would not be wise to place her in a home where there is a straight man whom she does not know, as she's afraid of them, especially with a reminder of her childhood years, such as her mother, being constantly around. It could not be healthy to put her in a home so much like the one where she was abused. Also, as she has not lost all her powers but instead still has some of them, and especially as she's talented in magic not involving wands, such as potions brewing, it would do no good for her to be separated from her inheritance completely, but instead, she should be raised like any witch her age, despite her inability to attend to any so-called 'proper' magical training."

This all went on for quite some time, as Weasley and Severus took turns trying to make their own reasons known and to shoot down the other's reasonings. It was impossible to tell which one presented his reasonings better, but the Malfoys felt hopeful as they listened to Severus's words. They both trusted their friend's cunningness and intelligence completely. If Severus couldn't win the trial, then no one could.

At last, neither had anything more to say. The judge now turned towards Olivia. "And what do you have to say about your mother's request for the custody over you, Miss Darkholm?" she asked kindly.

"I don't want to live with her," Olivia said, looking pale, but her voice clear and even. "She may be my mother, but I don't feel like that. She never lifted a finger to prevent my father beating me. She never even said that she was sorry for me, she never defended me or even dared to heal me, too afraid of getting beaten herself." The girl pressed her lips tightly together for a second before continuing.

"Parents are supposed to love their children," she said then, her voice very quiet. It was clearly heard, however, since everyone was silent. "If it is about love, the only parents I've ever had are Lucius and Remus. My father clearly denied his love by his actions, but she never showed it to me, either." She sat down, paler than even before, but didn't break down. Apparently, the Calming Potions were working with her.

"This does make a strong evidence in this case," the judge said quietly. "We are, however, here to decide wich option will be better for Miss Darkholm in a long-term basis. Wouldn't you eventually learn to love your mother, if you lived with her, Miss Darkholm? Doesn't her long search for you prove her love well enough?"

"Maybe I would," Olivia said, "and maybe I wouldn't. But what's the point of it, if I'm already loved, and loving, right where I am?" She gave a dry snort, copied right from Severus. "Besides, they say, 'a friend in need is a friend indeed.' I think that should go for mothers as well."

Remus leaned towards Lucius, small, silent tears rolling down his cheeks. His lips were silently moving, echoing soundlessly every word of trust and love leaving Olivia's mouth. Lucius didn't do anything else but hugged his husband a bit tighter, keeping his eyes fixed on Olivia. The Slytherin couldn't help but chuckle inwardly, though. Remus did become overemotional around the full moon, yes, but that was still almost a full week away -- far too early for those kinds of effects to show. Well, the situation _was_ rather moving, however.

Some time later, a young wizard with the badge of a Ministry official came in. He had some parchments in his hands, which he gave to Severus. Remus looked at his friend, curious to know what those papers meant.

The Potions Master began glancing through the papers frantically. The further he got, the more his face lit up. At last he broke in to a broad smile and started a furious whispering with the other official.

Remus watched them with curiousity. He figured it that Severus had come up with something - he at least desperately hoped so. But what it was and whether it could help them enough, he couldn't tell.

Suddenly, Severus stood up. "Your honour, may I speak?"

The judge nodded her head. "Go ahead, Mr. Black."

Severus gave the Malfoys a small, reassuring smile, then turned to face the judge and the jury. "I demand ending this trial," he said, loudly and clearly enough to be heard by everyone in the hall. "I claim simple and clear victory in the case to Mr. and Mr. Malfoy."

A huge wave of whispering and doubtful glances rose from the audience, until it was broken by the sharp bang created by the judge's wand.

"And upon what do you claim this victory?" the judge asked, sounding half curious, half disbelieving. It wouldn't have been the first time when somebody tried something like this to carry on the trial and distract their opponent, but it was certainly unique so early during the trial.

"I claim it upon a simple juridical case," Severus said calmly. "I just got the evidence of it. This certificate," he said, waving the parchment in the air, "clearly states that Miss Olivia Darkholm is a tested and verified Ciddle. Upon the Wizarding Laws of Magical Status, this makes her in all means equal to a Pureblood magical person. And, the Ministry Law of Family Cases states at one point clearly and nondisputtably that, 'Under no circumstances shall a single Muggle or a Squib, or a group of people with the majority of Muggles and/or Squibs, ever gain custody over a Pureblood magical child.' Therefore, the custody over Miss Darkholm can under no circumstances be given to Mrs. and Mr. Smithson."

At first, there was a silence.

Then, there were two single cries, one of sorrow and shock, one of joy. Maria Smithson hid her face in her hands, crying in disappointment, while Olivia let out a joyful cry, forgetting her overflowing shyness for once, rushing to her adopted fathers and hugging firmly Remus, who hugged her back with tears of joy and relief in his eyes. All the people in the courtroom were now either expressing their regret for the Smithsons or - mostly - congratulating the Malfoys for winning the case.

"The custody over Olivia Malfoy will stay with Mr. Lucius Malfoy and Mr. Remus Malfoy upon a simple juridical case," the judge said, her voice strengthened by Sonorius. "This trial is over, this court will break, under the eye of Merlin has the decision been given in the case Malfoy and Malfoy versus Smithson and Smithson."

"Nice trick, darling," Sirius grinned, placing a kiss on Severus's cheek. "The trial lasted for the whole of two hours. That was simply brilliant!"

"I agree," the Slytherin replied with a smug grin. "I'm rather proud of myself, too."

"Thank you, Severus," Lucius said with relief in his voice. "We owe you more than we can ever repay."

"Make sure Olivia passes her tests, and you owe me nothing," Severus smiled. Then he turned serious. "Besides, don't thank me yet. We still have another trial to win," he reminded. "And that will be far more difficult-- this was just a little taste of what is coming. It was the only option to get this one over quickly, since the longer it'd got, the more troubles we'd get later even though we'd won this one. You can bet that after this, Weasley will do everything in his power to take Olivia from you. There's no law to prevent that, we can only try and prove that Olivia is happier with you than with anybody else - not just the Smithsons."

Lucius nodded, his face serious also. "We will fight," he said simply. "Even if I have to hex every person in the courtroom, I won't let go of Olivia without a good fight."

Severus smiled slightly. "Somehow, I don't doubt you'll need the hexes."

After a moment, Robert Madison came to them. "I spoke with the judge," he said. "The second trial will begin next Monday at nine o'clock in the morning."

"Good," Severus said. "And the other thing we spoke about?"

This time, the other official broke into a wide grin. "It went through also," he said. Then he turned towards the Malfoys and said, "Because of this victory, no matter how downright ridiculous it was, Olivia is allowed to stay with you during the next trial, unless very heavy reasons speak against it."

Remus, who'd just released Olivia from his embrace, smiled. "That's great," he said. Then he adopted a doubtful expression, and said, "This is all going too easily, though. I think we'll have pretty hard time of it next week."

"And the full moon will be on Sunday," Lucius added darkly. "I bet Weasley will do his best to turn that to his benefit."

"Well, we'll do our best to win, also," Severus said self-confidently. "First of all, I'd like to look through some older laws. Do you know where the records are being kept, Robert?"

"In the east wing of the Ministry," answered the younger official. "Not far from the Potions Master Ministry Headquarters, in fact, only a couple of corridors further."

"Well, I certainly should know the way there," chuckled Severus. "Merlin knows I've been to there often enough to find the way even in my sleep. More than to the actual Headquarters, even."

"What if we all came with you to see those laws?" suggested Lucius. "I'd like to see those officials about Olivia's first tests anyway, as our dear young gentlemen," he gave a sharp glance at Draco, who was grinning up at him, "have finally managed to come up with a wedding date. Will you come along, or will I just say I got a permission from you to alter the test dates?"

"Just go there, they know you well enough to obey you," said Severus carefreely. "You could also show Olivia the archives they have collected here in the Ministry. It's nowhere near what we have in the actual Headquarters, but it's enough."

Remus gave a long-suffering sigh. He seemed to have relaxed almost completely now that Olivia was, at least for some time, with them for sure. "You know they're not coming back for _hours_ now," he said accusingly at Severus.

"True," said the younger of the two Potions Masters present. "That's why I'm not going along with them -- I really have to look at those laws."

So, the whole group minus Robert -- who claimed to have other work at the moment -- started to walk towards the East Wing of the Ministry building. All adults were pointing any remarkable places, such as the most interesting sections and departments, out ot Olivia, who watched everything in awe. She'd never really seen the places before -- Severus had got her signed for the Potions Mistress tests in the actual Headquarters of the Potions Master's Guild, and in the morning she'd been too nervous to notice anything. Now she did, however, and she was really impressed.

At last they came to a door that had no writing on it, just a big figure of a bubbling cauldron. "This is where we part from the others, Olivia," Lucius said with a slight smile. "The Ministry Headquarters of the Potions Master's Guild."

Olivia nodded a bit nervously, and then followed him inside through the doorway. The air coming to the corridor from the Headquarters smelled of potions ingredients. Three of those left in the corridor grimaced, especially Remus -- he did have an exceptional sense of smell, after all -- but Severus just sniffed at it affectionately.

"A bit more Venderroot than last time," he then said thoughtfully. "I'll have to tell Marius to use some dragon scales instead, the next time I see him."

"What do you mean?" asked Draco, genuinely confused. It did not surprise him that his Godfather could tell the potions ingredients and their amounts from the smell, but he really didn't know what Severus was talking about.

"Oh, it's just a little project we have, Marius and I," Severus said cheerfully as they continued on their way. "He's the one that runs the Guild Headquarters here in the Ministry. You didn't really think we actually brewed potions here, did you? No, Marius burns and boils various ingredients in there. We're trying to accomplish the exact smell of a usual wizarding laboratory, only several times stronger than usual."

"Again a new reason to keep away from laboratories," muttered Remus quietly, causing the others to chuckle. They chattered slightly the rest of their way to the arcive of old laws they were seeking, all relieved that the first trial had gone so easily, although they were still rather wary about the second one.

When they got to their destination, however, they were in for another surprise. There was a gateway with the sign, "Archive of Elder Lawz" on top of it. Instead of a usual door they saw an iron gate there, and on top of it lay a huge Jarvey. When Remus tried to approach the gate, it scratched him and glared at him threateningly. The gate showed no signs of opening.

"He's the guardian," said suddenly a voice from the shadows in the corners of the simple stone room. Startled, they all looked there, seeing an ancient-looking witch smirking at them. "The guardian of the gate."

"And what do we have to get past him?" asked Severus, trying to appear calm.

"Getting past him is not that simple," told the old witch, giving them a disturbingly amused glance. "You have to say something that disgusts him - and that's not easy, I may tell. Before, some people actually got past him, but ever since he discovered fanfiction in the Muggle Internet nobody has passed the gate."

"Fanfiction?" Remus asked, frowning. "What's that?"

Sirius gave him a careful glance. "Well... You know those books that the Muggle woman is writing, right? Rowling, or what was her name?"

"Of course," Remus said, nodding. "They were pretty accurate, at least the four first ones, but this fifth... Honestly, not only you were still on the run, but you died! And Lucius went into Azkaban..." His voice trailed off, and a distant look entered his eyes.

"Just that," Sirius said, and nodded. "I did some research, and it seems that there are some weird people out there - people who write about us. Us, and all the people in those books. That's called 'fanfiction.' Some of them were amusing, but honestly, some of those - can you really imagine you, James, and I getting married - all three together?"

Remus shuddered. "Okay," he said. "I know enough now."

"So that's fanfiction, eh?" Severus said, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds... Interesting. And fairly full of disgusting possibilities." He turned towards the Jarvey. "So we ought to disgust this thing, right?"

"That's it," the witch snickered. "As you just heard, it's anything but easy!"

"Well, we'll try," Severus said, shrugging. He faced the jarvey and said clearly, "A man raping his own son and impregnanting him."

"Squeee!" the Jarvey shrieked. "Non-con, incest, mpreg, squee!" He watched the wizards eagerly. "More, more, more, you dumbasses!" he said with something that couldn't be called quite a laugh, more like an amused snarl.

"What is it talking about? What do those words mean - non-con and mpreg?" Severus asked quietly from Sirius.

"Rape and male pregnancy," the Animagus replied to his husband, shrugging. "Both pretty usual in fanfiction, much more so than in real life."

"Um..." Draco thought rapidly, then said, "Halfgiant marrying a cat?"

"Hagrid/Norris! Yay! You sons of a bitch!" the little creature snickered, without a sign of letting them go through the gate. The four wizards exchanged determined gazes, then set to work to get past the weird gatekeeper.

After three hours of trying, they were no nearer getting through, but all fairly disgusted at each other's suggestions. As Lucius and Olivia finally came to the gate, they had used all their imagination. And still the Jarvey wasn't letting them through.

"A rat eating its way inside a man?" Remus offered, sounding drained.

"Wormtail! My idol!" The Jarvey sounded honestly amused. "More, more! Try more! Can't you come up with anything better, you whore?"

"Remus is not a whore," Lucius said coolly. "So the point of this is to disgust this horrifying thing, right?"

"Exactly," Severus said, nodding wearily. "But even the worst of Voldemort's ideas weren't anything to him. Shit, if homosexual underage non-consensual bestiality with pregnancy and abort isn't enough, what can we say to make him let us pass?"

Lucius looked thoughtful for a moment. Then he said, quite calmly, "Dill pickles, whipped cream, salted fish, strawberries, salt peanuts, and fudge with extra sugar, all piled on a hot chicken-cheese-cucumber sandwhich and covered with vanilla ice-cream and chili pepper."

The Jarvey didn't even take time to think about it. Instead, it grimaced. "You are a mean old pimp!" it shrieked. "My poor little brain! Pass, now, you all! Never come back, you son of a bitch!"

They quickly walked through the gate as it flung open and the Jarvey stepped aside, leaving the old witch staring after them, her eyes wide and jaw hanging open. As they walked down the corridor they still heard the Jarvey's shrieks, "The Wolfboy has forgotten to comb his tail!"

"How did you come up with that?" Sirius asked, truly amazed. "Really, that was brilliant! Brilliant, and more than a bit disgusting!"

"Quite easy," the blond man replied calmly. "I'm the one who's been pregnant, even though for only five months. I should know what a pregnant person can crave." He looked saddened for a while at these words. Then Remus slipped his arm through his husband's, and the blond's expression lit up a bit.

None of them noticed, however, how Severus flinched a bit at Lucius's words, an odd expression momentarily rising to his face.

* * *

The Malfoys had habarely arrived when a little cloud of silvery mist started to materialize in front of them. "Olivia!" exclaimed Laura as soon as her form had become whole. "You're back!" 

"Laura!" replied the other teenager girl just as enthusiastically. "Yes, I am back. Hopefully for the time being."

"Oh, I'm _so_ glad," the ghost chirped with genuine joy. "You _have_ to tell me what happened!"

"Of course I will," said Olivia with a smile. Then, after giving a questioning glance to her adoptive parents and receiving an approving nod in return, she walked out of the room -- for some reason, she wasn't comfortable with the mirror magic yet. Laura followed her, floating softly in the air.

"I didn't know she'd made friends with Laura," said Lucius as both girls had left, raising an eyebrow. "And I'm not entirely sure if I should be happy about it or not."

"Why so?" asked Remus, frowning. "What could be so bad about her making friends?"

"Well, for one thing, she might get surprising ideas," said Lucius dryly, sitting down on a couch and drawing Remus down next to him. "You see, Laura died about three hundred years ago -- by jumping from a window." At Remus's shocked gasp, he smirked dryly, then continued, "Besides, if Weasley finds out that her only friend is a ghost, we'll never hear the end of it. Just imagine how he'll turn that against us -- she doesn't even have live friends!"

"Well, better a dead one that none at all," said Remus, although he was a bit wary. "Besides, there aren't many people around she could make friends with, now is there? And she gets along well with Severus, for example," he added then.

"Yes, she does," admitted Lucius, "but Severus is not her age. And I bet Weasley is going to claim that we need to provide her with some 'healthy companion of her peers' if we truly are good parents."

"Then let's do so," said Remus lightly. "I'm sure Dumbledore would let a couple of students for a little holiday to visit the Manor."

"And exactly whom do you have in mind to invite for a visit?" asked Lucius half-teasingly, wrapping his arms around his husband. He was ready to try it out, if it sounded sensible, though -- he agreed that they'd won the first trial too easily, and was ready to do anything to come over whatever things Weasley had prepared for the second one.

"Well, Clarissa at the very least," replied Remus. "I think we'd better stick to family. And then Malcolm, of course, and maybe Jonah."

"Malcolm?" echoed Lucius disbelievingly. "_Jonah_? No way, dear. Malcolm will have her in tears in no time with his nastiness, and if she's afraid of straight men who don't even come near her, Jonah will make her scream in fear at the first sight. That boy has already been through half of the female population of Hogwarts, teachers included!"

"Jonah will behave, if we tell him so," said Remus confidently. "And Malcolm is in fact fairly similar to Olivia. They both like potions, for example -- and both adore Severus. You know that both characteristics are pretty rare among youngs, and people in general, too."

Lucius couldn't help but chuckle slightly. It was true that Severus was certainly not one of the most-liked people in the Wizarding World -- and he didn't do much to change that, either. Lucius secretly suspected his friend in fact enjoyed his reputation as a man who ought to be feared.

"Anyway, we will discuss that more later," continued Remus firmly. "Right now, I do believe we have something else to be concerned about."

"Oh?" Lucius raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

"Well, we have Olivia back, at least for now," his husband said, smiling. "I don't know about you, but I, at the very least, am well on the mood for a little... celebrating."

"You know," the blond man replied, "I think I am in a similar mood."

So, celebrate they did. In the master bedroom, of course.

And Olivia and Laura had yet another quiet chuckle together over the emerald moving on the silver figure of a snake.

* * *

While the Malfoys were discussing Olivia's low state of friendships, the Blacks were already home. Sirius, however, left soon with Draco to see Harry, promising to come back soon. Thus, Severus was left alone. Feeling suddenly very tired after all the hours spent in the archive for nothing, the Slytherin decided to take a little nap before Sirius returned from meeting his adopted son. 

He did not find rest easily, however. Instead, his dreams were full of disturbing images that didn't make any sense, but filled him with an endless agony.

_

* * *

__Severus fell down in the middle of darkness. He saw nothing else, heard nothing, just saw himself falling through an endless darkness._

_Then, suddenly, his falling form stopped abruptly on its track. His memory-self let out a loud, pained cry, then lay unmoving, his arms wrapped around his stomach._

_Around his very round stomach..._

And, suddenly, Severus remembered.

He _remembered_.

* * *

"Severus?" Sirius called out as he stepped out of the fireplace. "Severus, where are you?" 

There was no reply. Sirius frowned at this. Severus usually didn't go far away from the master sitting room, which was also rather near to his potions laboratory, as well as their bedroom. The Black Manor was big -- far too big for two, by Sirius's mind -- but Severus had never taken a habit of wandering around it.

So, logically, if he didn't answer, he had to be in the bedroom. Whether or not he was asleep, that Sirius couldn't say -- there were permanent two-way silencing charms on the walls of their bedroom, for reasons he would rather not repeat in public. This in mind, he went towards the master bedroom of the Manor.

To his great shock, he did find Severus. The Slytherin lay on his stomach on their bed, his face on his folded arms, and crying - something he never did.

Sirius sat down on the edge of the bed, collecting his weeping husband to his arms. "Severus," the Animagus said softly, "what exactly did you See?" He knew for sure that Severus had Seen something -- nothing else could have caused this.

Severus was quiet for a moment, the sobs still escaping his lips every now and then. "I Saw you," he then said quietly. "You were in Azkaban..."

Sirius frowned. Severus usually was shaken whenever he'd Seen memories of Sirius's time in Azkaban, or the time he'd almost died, but those were not enough to make him cry. There was only one thing concerning both of them that had hurt the Slytherin that much.

"Calm down, love," he hushed his lover. "Tell me, Severus... Did you remember _it_?"

Severus hesitated for a moment, then gave him a shaky nod. There was no doubt what Sirius was talking about. Only one thing in their shared life was addressed to as "it."

"Oh, Severus," Sirius sighed, collecting his husband to his arms. The Slytherin still didn't say anything, he just clutched on Sirius's robes like a drowning man to his saviour's hand.

For some time, they just stayed like that. After some time, however, Severus's crying lessened a bit, at least enough for Sirius to consider talking to him. "Do you want me to Obliviate you?" he asked quietly. "Or shall I call an Unspeakable from the Ministry tomorrow to do it?"

"No," Severus replied. "I - I want to remember. This time."

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked, crumbling his eyebrows. "You've said yourself that you can't handle it - that it's simply too much for you."

"I'm fine," the Potions Master argued, completely ignoring the tears that were still rolling down his cheeks. "I can deal with it. And even if I can't, it's the time for me to learn. I can't escape it forever - it always catches me, and I'm shocked again. I'd rather know what I'm afraid of."

"If you want it, it's your choice. I just don't want you to get hurt, love."

Severus gave him a little, shaky smirk through his tears. "I'll live," he said quietly. Then he again broke into seemingly endless sobs and tears.

Sirius merely held him again, not saying a word.

* * *

After what seemed to be forever but was really only half an hour, Severus had cried himself to sleep. Sirius still remained on his side, absent-mindedly petting the silky hair, his mind rolling in the memories of the first time he'd seen his husband like this. 

The time they had lost their unborn baby.

* * *

15th of May, 1997

* * *

Sirius walked slowly through the corridors of the castle. Everyone who saw him quickly avoided his gaze, stepping out of his way. Conversations were stopped as soon as he came to sight, only to be continued in quickly whispered comments right behind his back. 

Everyone in the school knew that Severus was in the Infirmary. Only very few knew why he was there, however, and Sirius wholly insisted to keep it that way also. Severus had suffered enough without everybody knowing the reason behind it.

As soon as he entered the Infirmary, he saw his husband. The usually so proud and controlled Slytherin lay on one of the hospital beds, crying his eyes out.

Sirius frowned, genuinely worried. Ever since he'd woken up, Severus had just cried. Not slept, not eaten, not done anything else, just cried all the time. As it'd been two days already, they were all seriously worried about his lover's mental and emotional state. It could not be healthy to just cry for so long; this could result with serious damages in Severus's mind at worst.

"Severus?" he asked quietly. Testingly.

In an instant, the teary onyx eyes shot up to him. "Sirius," breathed Severus. "Take it away," his lover then begged him. "Just take it away..."

"Take what away, love?" Sirius asked, genuinely confused. "What it is you want me to do?"

"Take the memory," Severus whispered, renewed tears rolling down in endless streams of sorrow. "I can't handle it, it's too much... Please, Sirius, just Obliviate me..."

Sirius swallowed back the tears that threatened to fall from his own eyes as well. He hesitated for a moment - usually, he thought that it was the best if bad things were dealt with immediately. But, Severus wasn't him. The Animagus knew all too well that his husband couldn't just fight and forget, like he did. Also, he saw just how much pain Severus was in.

Slowly, he raised his wand, pointing it at Severus. Steadily meeting the other man's eyes, he said quietly, "_Obliviate_."

For a moment, it was deadly quiet.

"Mmm... Sirius?" Severus asked then. "Why am I in the bed?"

"At last, you're awake," Sirius sighed, rapidly making up a story in his mind. "You tripped in a stairway, love - hit your head to the floor. Don't worry if you don't remember something, Poppy said that some level of amnesia is just to be expected."

Severus nodded slowly, then raised a hand to stroke his damp cheek. "I've been crying," he noticed, looking confused. "Why?"

"No particular reason," Sirius said, trying to catch a light tone. "Harry and Draco just slipped some Weeping Potion into your pumpkin juice. Don't worry," he added as he noticed the dangerous glow in Severus's eyes. "They've already been assigned detentions - separated ones, because they only did it to have more time together. Harry's with Filch and Draco's with Hagrid." In his mind, he prayed the boys wouldn't hate him too much for this - he'd have to really give them those detentions in case Severus wanted to check it.

But he didn't think the boys would really mind that. Not, if he explained them what would be the price if this didn't go through.

Surely they would take one detention to save Severus's sanity, wouldn't they?

* * *

The next morning, Sirius watched quietly as Severus tore all his robes out from his wardrobe, collecting them in the middle of the room. Then, as all of his robes were in the heap, the Slytherin took a vial from his belt, tossing it to the floor. As soon as it was broken, the robes caught fire, starting to burn on a rapid pace. 

This wasn't the first time Sirius saw his lover doing this. Three times before, Severus had remembered his miscarriage, and three times before, he'd burned all his robes. But usually, he didn't really knew why he did it - he'd just suddenly had a strong dislike for all robes, a dislike which then just disappeared as all traces of the memory disappeared from his mind.

Now, however, Severus knew exactly why he was doing this. And that upset Sirius more than anything else -- anything, except the empty gaze in those jet-black eyes. That was what hurt him most -- all that unvoiced pain and sorrow inside his lover, pain and sorrow he couldn't help.

"Let's go," said Severus then shortly, turning his back to the burning clothes. He was wearing simple navy blue trousers and a dark grey shirt - nothing remarkable, but very unusual for him. It was very rare to see Severus anywhere without his usual wizarding robes. Those were what he'd got attached to - despite the fact that he always burned all his robes after remembering.

Nobody had been able to truly define what exactly had caused Severus's flight down the stairway back then, and, as a result of that, the loss of their unborn baby. Severus had been six months along then, and thus a miscarriage had been almost impossible - but, of course, it'd happened instantly when the baby had died inside him. The protection charms they'd placed on Severus's concealed stomach had done no good in the accident.

It was a miracle Severus hadn't broken his own neck, or skull, or whole body in that flight. Still, he'd managed to stay alive - alive to blame himself. Even though nobody knew what had caused him to fall over, as even his own memories of it were rather vague, Severus himself was certain that he'd stumbled on his robes and tripped over the hem. That was why he always expressed such a dislike for robes every time he remembered. Even when it was just a subconscious urge, he wanted to destroy what he thought to be the very symbol of his 'failure,' not that Sirius or anybody else would ever have called it that. They blamed Severus of it just as much as they blamed Lucius for the death of Philip, Joyce, and Kathleen. They could never do that, because the men were the ones who'd been hurt most.

For those few precious months, the still unborn baby boy had been the center of their lives. They'd already named him - Brian James Black, although getting Severus agree on the second name had taken a lot of coaxing from Sirius's part. Everything had been planned ready, they'd even decided how they'd decorate the nursery, which of course would have been in Severus's quarters, where they both had lived by that time. Harry, who'd been one of the very few who had known, had been only happy when he'd heard of the future addition to his adopted family.

Just as well as he'd been horribly shocked when he realized that there would not be any additions. Maybe not ever.

As Severus didn't remember a thing of his whole pregnancy and the incident most of the time, they were always walking on eggshells when it came to the touchy subject. Severus managed to deal with his subconscious fear pretty well. After all, he was now the head of the Ministry's Male Pregnancy Section, discussing and arranging male pregnancies every day at work. He had never had any visible problems with that. Only when somebody suggested that he himself should carry a baby, he was filled with an unexplicable jolt of fear and shame, quickly changing the topic. Sirius had talked long and seriously with almost all the officials in Severus's section - of course unknown by his husband - and made sure that none of them would ever suggest that. He'd always done everything he could to keep Severus experiencing any more pain than he absolutely had to.

Therefore, he no more even thought that they might once have their own children. Of course, he dreamed of it, he desperately hoped for it to happen, but he didn't think that it could ever be. It was a painful realization, as he'd spent the better part of his life hoping to be a father one day. He'd always been hoping to have some little one to care for and teach things and spoil rotten.

But Severus couldn't bear that, and for Severus, he would give up anything. Even his dreams.

Although now that Severus remembered at last, maybe he could get over his fear and at least consider it? Of course, he wouldn't have to carry a baby, Sirius would gladly do that to save him from his fear. Maybe Severus could accept that much?

As he bellowed the name of their destination before quickly stepping to the fireplace, he thanked all gods he could think of about the fact that they had this option. Not everyone did.

Not, for example, the Malfoys.

It was truly painful to even think about. He and Severus hadn't had children because Severus was afraid of it, Lucius and Remus hadn't gotten any -- at least not biological -- simply because they couldn't. Lucius could never again carry a baby, and as for Remus, well, male werewolves were not known to be able to carry children. Female ones could, of course, but with males, a miscarriage always happened after three months at most. Usually, it happened right after the first full moon when they were pregnant. No matter what had been tried, the miscarriage couldn't be prevented.

He stumbled to the floor of the Malfoy's sitting room. Getting up to his feet, he noticed the Malfoy's stares at Severus, who of course had remained standing, graceful as ever. Olivia looked simply curious as she saw her mentor in this unusual -- unusual for him, that was -- clothing, while Remus and Lucius both looked concerned, although they did try to hide it.

However, Severus wasn't blind. Noticing their expressions, the Slytherin snapped his tongue. "Yes, I did remember," he said sharply, "and yes, I still do remember. I wouldn't let Sirius Obliviate me this time."

"What do you mean?" asked Olivia curiously. "What did you remember?"

The Blacks exchanged glances, then Sirius sighed. "Well, Olivia," he started, "it's a quite long story..."

The girl listened quietly as he told of it everything; keeping the pregnancy secret in the middle of the War, planning their future, naming the baby, and, finally, losing him. In the end of it, her eyes were wide as platters, and she was as pale as a sheet.

They all expected her to say something, anything, really. Instead, she just rose from her seat, walked over to Severus, and gave him a tight hug, tiny tears rolling down her cheeks. And, to even greater surprise of the others, Severus returned the hug, albeit a bit awkwardly. No matter what, Severus still hardly showed his feelings, especially not in physical ways like this, not to anyone but Sirius.

However, as Olivia now hugged him to offer some comfort, he accepted her gesture. And this, even more than the fact Severus seemed to be in control of his emotions, made Sirius think that his husband might actually get past his fears one day.

But, from the experience of years, he knew that the pain would never go away. Fade a bit, maybe, but never go away.

* * *

The next chapter: **Sirius's Trick**   
Severus is not the only Black with a trick up his sleeve. When the next trial starts, he finds something that leaves Weasley enraged. However, before that, Olivia gives them quite a fright...


	19. Sirius's Trick

Disclaimer: I only own any OCs here and there.

A/N: Let's just note that I know absolutely nothing about real trials, like you've surely noticed already. So, I've just made up my own way, as wizarding trials hardly would be the same as Muggle ones anyway.

...**Sarahamanda**, I do appreciate any reviews as long as they're not flames, but isn't about 50 times of the exactly same text a bit too much?

* * *

..Our little one. .

Chapter Nineteen

Sirius's Trick

* * *

This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

* * *

"Do you have a swimming suit, Olivia?"

The girl looked up from her book -- not about potions for a chance, instead it was on magical creatures -- and looked confusedly at her Dad. "A swimming suit?" she echoed. "No, I don't think I have one at the moment. Haven't had much use for those recently. Why do you ask?"

"I just thought that swimming might take your thoughts off the things for a while," Remus replied. "There's a rather good pool in one of the rooms of the Manor. Neither I nor Lucius have been there fore quite a while, but you might find it pleasant."

"I think I would," Olivia said, smiling. "Shall I get a swimming suit now, then?"

"That's a good idea," Remus replied. "Go get your things and some Calming Potion while I call for Draco. He'll gladly accompany you."

* * *

Later that day, Olivia was led to the pool room by Remus. The werewolf soon left after showing her the places. Spotting a door with her name carved on it, Olivia went to the room and changed to her swimming suit. It was blue -- like Draco had said, it was all good and well to use the Malfoy colours, but enough is enough.

The water was cool as she dived into it. Enjoying the feeling of floating through the clear water, Olivia then swam back to the broad marble stairway on one side of the pool -- this was the Malfoy Manor, after all. Climbing up from the pool, she went to dive again into the water

It was during her fourth dive that she was taken by surprise. Somebody was swimming in front of her. She blinked in confusion, but the sight didn't disappear.

Olivia swam nearer, and noticed that the other person was Remus. He was in full robes, however, and seemingly trying to swim to the bottom of the pool. This was confusing her, but even more she was disturbed by the fact that the robes he was wearing weren't the ones he'd been wearing only some time before.

As she watched, the body of her Dad fell down towards the bottom of the pool, now unmoving.

* * *

The Blacks were yet again visiting them. Remus explained that Olivia had gone to swim, an excuse they all approved. It would only be good for her to relax some.

Inwardly, Remus couldn't help but be a bit worried. The pool was rarely used nowadays because of all kind of dark memories attached to it. Lucius used to swim every time after he'd been tortured by the Dark Lord -- not a memory you wanted to have while a lazy swimming trip for fun. And Remus himself, well, he had some... unpleasant... memories, too.

'_But Olivia can swim_,' he thought determinedly. '_It'll do only good to her to relax._' Then, glancing towards their guests, he added sadly, '_It would do a lot of good to us all_.' Severus wasn't wearing robes, instead, he had black trousers and a dark blue shirt. Sirius was wearing similar clothes, as if to lessen the attention directed on his husband's clothes, and kept giving the darkhaired Slytherin concerned glances. Remus and Lucius kept glancing at him, too -- it was almost frightening how calmly Severus was dealing with this. Frightening, and definitely worrying.

Suddenly, Severus froze. For a moment he looked concentrated on something, then he turned towards the Malfoys. "Say it again... Where is Olivia right now?"

"She said she was going to swim in the pool," Remus replied, surprised. "Why?"

Surprising them all, Severus bounced up from his chair, almost knocking it over. "Then we'd better get there and fast," he said hastily. "Somebody's Seeing in the building, and it damn well is not me. And if she's in water at the moment..."

Remus paled instantly, also standing. He rushed towards the nearest mirror, the other three men right on his heels.

Soon they'd went through the mirror to the corridor nearest to the pool room. Everone was hurrying towards the actual room where Olivia was as suddenly, Severus froze on his current footsteps, closing his eyes. The others glanced at him concernedly.

"What's wrong, love?" Sirius asked warily. "Is the Seeing disturbing you? You don't usually go like this if there isn't a strong channel around."

Severus nodded slowly. "It's a strong memory," he muttered, grinding his teeth. "And she's Seeing it the first time... The first time is always stronger..." At these words, his eyes snapped open. His gaze, however, was blank, locked at something nobody else could see. He was shaking slightly, however, and the others knew that whatever it was that he saw, it wasn't pleasant.

Sirius sighed, drawing his husband into his embrace. He made a gesture to the two other men, urging them to go to get Olivia. Then he started rubbing the dark-haired Slytherin's back, murmuring soothingly to him. He couldn't wake Severus from the trance, but at least he could try to make it easier to his lover.

Remus and Lucius gave him concerned glances, but then their worry for Olivia won. Rushing towards the room that held the pool, they let Sirius to care for his husband alone.

* * *

Time seemed to go much slower than normal. Sirius was watching the Malfoys' doings through the open doorway while he held his husband. Then Severus's tense body relaxed suddenly, and he fell backwards, being stopped by Sirius's tight embrace. He closed his eyes, clutching on his husband's arms for support. His breathing was heavy, and he was still trembling slightly.

"It's okay, Sev," Sirius murmured, rubbing the other man's back in a soothing manner. "It's okay. They got Olivia just in time, she'll be fine. Everyone will be fine."

"She's safe?" Severus asked, still a bit confused after the vision.

"Completely," Sirius assured. "Nothing is wrong anymore." He then looked curiously at his husband. "Exactly what was the vision about?" he asked.

"It was -- it was --" Severus tried to say, failing. He took a deep breath and said, "It was the time Remus tried to drown himself. After Joyce and Philip died."

Sirius didn't say anything. Instead, he hugged Severus even tighter against his chest.

* * *

Olivia slowly opened her eyes. She looked straight into Remus's wide, frightened eyes. "D-Dad?" she stammered, astonished.

"Olivia," Remus sighed, sounding relieved. "Never, ever again frighten us like that."

"I -- what happened?" she asked, confused.

"You started Seeing in the water," Lucius explained. "You almost drowned, little one." He took a strict tone. "Never again go swimming without taking the blocking potion first," he commanded firmly.

"Right..." she muttered, still feeling a bit dizzy. Then she tried to force her lips onto a smile. "You know, it'd be easier if you just simply wrote a list of places where I _don't_ have to use that potion," the girl said, attempting to sound amused but unable to hear the slight tinge of fear in her voice. She could have had died, and would have, if Severus hadn't been in the house.

Then Lucius decided to speak up again. "What was the memory about, little one?" he asked worriedly. Remus froze. Lucius thought that it was about him. And Lucius thought so because Remus didn't want him to know.

"I -- I saw Dad," Olivia said faintly, gaining an almost unaudible sigh from Remus and a sharp breath from Lucius. "He was swimming... but then he swam towards the bottom of the pool. And then he wasn't swimming at all, he just fell and fell and fell. And when he had been lying on the bottom of the pool for some time, Sirius came and levitated him from the water. Then he and Severus used magic to wake Dad up..."

At this point, Lucius fixed his eyes at Remus. "Remus?" he asked questioningly, a sharp tone in his voice.

The werewolf sighed. "It was after the children had died, and you had woken up," he said quietly. "You just cried and said that it was your fault -- what it wasn't. And you wouldn't listen to me when I tried to tell you otherwise. I just felt so useless..." His voice trailed off, and he avoided his husband's eyes.

"You never told me." Lucius's statement was calm, void of any accusations.

"No, I didn't," admitted Remus. "I told Severus and Sirius not to tell you, either, after they had saved me. They promised not to tell you, if I promised never to try to drown myself again."

"You should have told me." Lucius's voice was quiet, but he still wasn't blaming Remus for what he'd done. He sounded simply sad, and a bit tired.

"You were in a state bad enough as it was," replied Remus equally quietly. "I didn't want to worry you any more."

"Well, this is not the right place nor time to discuss this," said Lucius then, sighing and getting up, leaning heavily on his cane. "Get changed, Olivia, and come then to the master sitting room. Okay?"

"Okay," she replied quietly, and soon hurried towards her dressing room.

* * *

The following Monday came soon, right after the full moon. The new trial came along as well.

Remus was sitting on his seat and listening attentively to everything said around him, being the epitome of a watchful person following a trial. All his friends, however, knew that this attentiveness was only due to some potions -- or, more specifically, drugs -- he'd begged from Lucius. The potions were all very dangerous in long-term use, but now, for this day and maybe the couple of days after it, he was using them. It wouldn't do any good for him if he fell asleep during the trial, no matter if the full moon had been the night before.

Again Severus, Weasley, and their colleagues settled to their places. This time, however, Olivia stayed on her seat next to her adoptive parents, looking as Malfoy-esque as anybody could. After a moment, the judge -- the very same as in the first trial -- nodded to Weasley. "Let the trial begin," she said. Weasley stood, a parchment in his hand, and started to speak.

"Olivia Malfoy has been under the custody of Remus and Lucius Malfoy ever since the 12th of November last year. This was when a primary adoption was confirmed. However, the secondary adoption hasn't been confirmed. As a Ministry official, I was asked to check whether it should be confirmed, and unfortunately I've had to give a negative answer to that question. Therefore, I am here in behalf of the Ministry's Family Department, claiming that Misters Malfoy and Malfoy are not the optional choice to be Olivia's parents.

"I'm claiming that Olivia Malfoy should be taken away from her current guardians and be placed into an orphanage, or preferably into another family. Having been abused by men and especially Death Eaters, it would not do good to her to have only two fathers and no mother, especially when one of the mentioned fathers is a former Death Eater. As both elder Malfoys are working for the Ministry, and the Malfoy Manor is located rather far away from any villages or cities, Muggles and Wizarding alike, it is not likeable that Olivia is getting the attention and company she needs in her age, especially as she is a Ciddle and thus cannot attend to any magical school. Living surrounded by powerful wizards can not do any good to the self-confidence of a girl who has hardly any magical powers to herself, neither can it teach her to live without magic, which she needs to know to be able to survive later in life.

"Being in a vulnerable age, Olivia needs a healthy female figure around, one that is hardly available in the family of two homosexual men. Being surrounded solely by homosexual men might also distract her search for her own sexuality should be. Exposure to too many dark things can't be too healthy for a young girl, either."

"Also, Mr. Remus Malfoy is a registrated werewolf, which brings issues as in is he fit for a parent-"

"Your honor," Sirius cut in, addressing the judge, "may I speak in an official matter that can't wait?"

The judge gave a curt nod. "If it really can't be avoided, you may."

"Mr. Ronald Weasley," Sirius said surprisingly calmly, turning towards the redhead, "once this trial is over, you are officially fired."

"WHAT?" Weasley roared. "You don't have the right to fire me!"

"In fact, I do," the Animagus with a small, smug grin. "It is clearly stated in the Ministry law concerning werewolves that 'If a person is a registrated lycanthrope who receives and uses their doses of Wolfsbane Potion monthly, and has not received a juridical sentence due to their Lycanthropy or the direct and undirect consequences of it, the person's Lycanthropy can't be used as a reason in any juridical case including but not limited to marriage certificates, working relation issues, adoptional or guardianship matters, divorces, and fertilization permissions. If a Ministry officials breaks this law, any official under the Werewolf Department of the Ministry of Magic can fire them.' And, as the secondary superior of the Department in question, I have the right to fire you. This measure is based on your prejudical statement questioning Mr. Remus Malfoy's ability to take care of a child strictly due to his Lycanthropy, not the effects or direct consequences of it." He glanced towards the judge. "Am I right in this case, your honor?" he asked politely.

The judge nodded. "You've reasoned yourself very well, Mr. Black. After this trial, Mr. Ronald Weasley does not work for the Ministry anymore. Also, if he gives another statement breaking this law, this trial will be interrupted and another official shall take his place."

Sirius nodded and grinned again smugly, then whispered to the others, "About half of his reasonings just dropped away. Sometimes it helps to know every little law by heart."

"Congratulations, Padfoot," Remus whispered back. "That was truly a nice trick!"

"Don't thank me, thank Marius Lawrence from my department. He was the one who forced that law through."

"Very well," the judge said then, interrupting their conversation. "And you, Mister Black?" she then said, glancing at Severus.

"I'm here to defend Remus and Lucius Malfoy in this case," Severus said levelly. "After gaining the custody over Olivia Darkholm in a primary adoption on the 12th of last November, they've been taking excellent care of her. They consider Olivia their own daughter in every aspect, and want her to remain as such.

"I'm claiming that Olivia Malfoy should stay with her current guardians. They have quickly formed a true parent-child relationship, which is essential in an adoptional family. It would not be healthy to Olivia to be again taken from her home and be put into another, or even worse, into an orphanage. Especially unwise it would be as this time she wants to remain in her current home, while before she ran away. Having been abused by straight men and being aftaid of them, she would only benefit from being able to form both parent-child relationships and friendships with men she does not find threatening. Should she need the company of an adult woman, she can turn to the female members of her extended family of family friends and in-laws, and living in a mostly homosexual enviroment can hardly distract her own sexual developement any more than living in a strictly heterosexual one.

"Being a Ciddle and thus equal to a Pureblood child, Olivia could only be given into a wizarding family. No other family, however, could offer her as good possibilities to live as a Ciddle in the magical world as the Malfoy family. Once she turns sixteen, she'll gain the control of the magic of the Malfoy Manor, which she'll later inherit, as her older adoptive-brother, Draco Malfoy, has expressed his unwillingness to receive the Manor. This magic is more than anyone else could offer her, and the Malfoys are also able to provide her with a wealthy home, a respected position in the Wizarding World, as well as any training she requires to properly control her Ciddle powers."

This time neither of them had much more to say, so the judge soon announced that the trial would be ended for that day, and that they would continue on the following day with the first witness: Severus.

* * *

"Today, it'll only be Robert with you," Severus told his companions on the following morning. "I'll give my testimony today, and Jane Keddle from my section is helping Robert."

"Jane Keddle?" Harry echoed curiously, being able to attend to the trial this time. "Any relation to the woman who wrote down the first notes of the ancient Quidditch game?"

"I wouldn't know," the Slytherin chuckled dryly. "You'd have to ask her."

Harry didn't ask her, however. Instead, he settled down next to the Malfoys as the trial was about to continue.

The judge glanced around the courtroom and nodded slightly as she saw everyone where they should be. "This trial, the Ministry Family Department versus Malfoy and Malfoy, shall continue," she announced. "Today, we will hear Severus Black's testimony on the case." She nodded a bit, signaling to them to start.

Once Severus had given his vows to truth, magic binding him to his words, his fellow official started questioning him.

"Your full name, age, and current working position?" Miss Keddle asked at first.

"Severus Miracol Snape Black, forty-three, the superior of the Male Pregnancy Section under the Family Department and the Potions Master Department of the Ministry of Magic."

"We have been informed that you are in touch with the Malfoy family often. Is this correct?" Robert asked, very well knowing the answer.

Severus nodded. "I am a brother to Mr. Lucius Malfoy's ex-wife, who's his son's mother," he said smoothly. "I'm also a personal friend to both Lucius and Remus Malfoy, and Draco Malfoy's fiancé is my husband's godson and our adopted son."

"Have you been their friend for long?" the official asked.

" I've been Remus's friend for over ten years, ever since he taught in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the first time in 1993. I've been Lucius's friend ever since 1975, when he first taught in Hogwarts as an assistant to Magdalena McTurnip, the Potions Mistress at the time."

"So it is safe to state that you know them both very well?"

"I might say so, yes." Severus nodded again curtly.

Before Robert could go on, however, Weasley cut in. "Several witnesses have said that when Mr. Remus Malfoy, then Remus Lupin, taught at Hogwarts in 1993, you were openly hostile towards him. If he truly was your friend then, why this behaviour?"

"I had to maintain a certain facadé," Severus explained in a calm, almost cool tone. "I was working for the Light, and this required me to pose as a Death Eater. I had to keep up a mean mask towards all those who were openly on the Light side, since some of my students were children of Death Eaters, and that kind of behaviour could have raised suspicions about my loyalties."

"So outside of your supposed normal behaviour, you were still friends?" Robert asked, catching the questioning back to his own hands.

"Very much so."

Miss Keddle looked at her papers, then at Severus. "You claim to know the Malfoys. How long have you been aware that Remus Malfoy is a Lycanthrope?"

"Since we were sixteen years of age."

"You are also known to be the first one who administered Wolfsbane Potion to Mr. Malfoy. Do you know if he's taking his doses regularly?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Ever since I invented the potion, he's only spent one full moon without the aid of the potion, in 1994."

"Why was that? Was it out of pure carelessness, or because of a lack of the potion?" Miss Keddle continued, obviously forming her questiongs very carefully.

"He was on his way to save three students from Sirius Black, who in his, and the Wizarding World's as whole, knowledge was the bertrayer of James and Lily Potter and a murdered of thirteen Muggles and Peter Pettigrew." At this, he glanced at Sirius, a bit of amusement in his beetle-black eyes.

"Was there any danger caused to the students?" Weasley asked sharply, his eyes glinting with malice. He obviously hadn't forgotten the unfortunate night.

Severus pondered the question for a moment. Then he said, obviously choosing his words carefully, "Unfortunately, yes, a possibility of danger did exist. My husband, or my fiancé at the time, however, transformed quickly into his Animagus form and kept Remus away from the children even before the transformation was complete."

"And after that, he's never transformed to his wolf form without the potion, correct?" Robert took his turn to ask.

"Very true. He has not missed a single dose."

"Is he receiving his doses of the potion every month for sure?" Weasley's fellow official asked, opening his mouth for the first time.

"Well, seeing that I, Lucius, and nowadays even Olivia are all well capable of brewing the potion for him, there's no way he could be without it."

Robert grinned before asking, "So Mr. Malfoy's Lycanthropy is not an issue and doesn't prevent him taking care of children?"

"Definitely not."

The other official of their opponent's side, Mr. Lyncay, scribbled something to his parchment. Then he looked at Severus over his glasses. "So that's clear. Lucius Malfoy has spent half a year in Azkaban, accused of being a Death Eater. What do you have to say about that?"

"He was freed because it turned out that he was innocent," Severus said coolly. "Lucius was a Death Eater, true, but he had switched sides years before. He was, like I, posing as a Death Eater in order to collect information for the purpose of the Light."

"So his true loyalties lie in the Light now?"

"That's absolutely correct."

"So are Olivia Malfoy's needs, in your opinion, fulfilled in the Malfoy family?" the official asked.

"Could you please specify what needs you are refering to?" Severus asked in a silky voice.

"Of course. Do you think she's receiving all the financial, physical, and emotional treatment from the Malfoys that a child might require from their parents?"

"Absolutely. Olivia gets practically anything she might ask for. She's the most healthy child I've seen in ages, and anyone can see that she loves and is loved by Remus and Lucius. There's no question about it."

Weasley again cut in. "Olivia Malfoy doesn't attend to any wizarding school. Why so?"

"She is a Ciddle," Severus replied calmly, "a case which has been tested and verified. Therefore, no magical education is an option for her."

Robert looked at his own parchment, looking thoughtful. He was obviously pondering how to turn the topic so that it would make the Malfoys look good. "However, it's also known that Olivia does possess talents for both Divination and Potions. Is her education in these things taken care of, or does she lack the proper instructioning?"

"At first, although I have no doubts that Olivia would do very well in the school subject of Divination," the Potions Master started, "Olivia possesses the talent of Seeing. Therefore, she needs no instructions for using her Divinating talent. However, should she have any questions, she knows she can always come to me and ask whatever she might want to know about the topic."

"You?" Weasley asked sharply. "And how are you capable of answering her questions?"

Everyone in the courtroom watched him intently. It was a well-known "fact" that Severus Black despised everything about Divination and especially those who were involved with it. All his friends also were strained to hear his answer, since they had no idea of how much Severus would be ready to reveal of his secrets.

"I'm a first-class member of the Seer's Guild," Severus answered smoothly. "I possess the natural talent of Seeing, and tests of the Guild have classified me as one of the strongest kind of Seers."

Surprised gasps filled the room. Severus's fellow officials, however, merely nodded without showing any surprise. Then Miss Keddle continued, "For those of us who don't know, could you tell us how strong is the strongest kind?"

"Well, normally I use a potion to keep my talent under control, if there's any chance to get in touch with anything that might cause Seeing. Without it, however, if there's an artefact capable of channeling visions, or a person is Seeing in a room, I can't enter or even go near the room without falling into trance as well."

"So it is safe to assume that you can answer all her possible questions?" Miss Keddle asked.

"I can't imagine any questions I couldn't answer."

The witch nodded. Then she asked, "And what about her skills in Potions? Have the Malfoys done anything to ensure her proper education in this matter?"

"Olivia is currently studying for her first Potions Mistress tests, which she'll be taking this summer," Severus told only the tiniest bit smugly. " Lucius Malfoy and I are sharing the duty of tutoring her in the art of brewery."

"And what makes you capable of doing that?" Robert asked, grinning again slightly.

"We're both not only members of the Alchemist's Guild but also members of the Potions Master's Guild and members of the Potions Master Council," the Slytherin replied. "I, myself, am the Lead Potions Master."

"What does that mean?" Keddle asked in a fake-curious tone - she of course knew this already. "How good you need to be in order to get to the Council?"

"Well, I'm commonly classified as the best Potions Master in Britain. In the world as whole, I'm considered at least one of the ten best ones, if not the best. Lucius is about the fourth or third best in the country as well."

"Does she have any place to research and study potions?" Mr. Lyncay asked.

"She has her own laboratory, which has all required equipments and ingredients as well as literature on the topic. She's also allowed to work in Lucius's and my laboratories, which are well known to be very well equipped. My own laboratory, where she works often, is the largest and best supplied laboratory outside the Alchemist's Guild's Headquarters."

"Ciddles are known to be able to use their own kind of wands. Does Olivia have a wand?" Robert questioned his colleague.

"Yes. She received her own within a week after the Ciddle test was performed. It was purchased in Paris."

"So at least Olivia's education is well taken care of?" Miss Keddle smiled.

"I don't think any other family could offer her any better means of education."

"Very well." Miss Keddle scribbled something to her papers, then again adressed him. "Mr. Black, you claim to be tutoring Olivia. How does she behave around you?"

"I take it you mean in the whole time I've known her?" After receiving a nod, he said, "Well, when I first met her, she was very cautious and easily frightened. Almost as soon as she found out who I was, however, she eased into a free conversation about potions. After that, I've never noticed any caution, nervousness, or fear in her behaviour in general. Only a couple of times, when she's realized she's done something wrong, I've seen her show signs of being frightened. Those have, however, vanished almost immediately."

"So she has no problems whatsoever with interacting with you?"

"Absolutely not."

Miss Keddle exchanged glances with Robert. Then the wizard asked, "What about other men? How have you seen her behaving around your friends?"

"I've only seen her with a few people," Severus explained smoothly. "Around her adoptive fathers, for what I've seen, she's always been happy and at ease. She has never in my sight had problems showing her affection to them, even though I've heard that she used to be very shy even towards them in the beginning. Towards her adoptive brother Draco Malfoy, his fiancé and my husband's adoptive son Harry Potter, or my husband Sirius Black, she also shows only positive feelings and never seems to have any trouble with normal everyday interacting."

"Have you ever seen Olivia interacting with straight men?"

Severus nodded. "I took her with me to the Potions Master Headquarters, since Lucius was being busy elsewhere and we had to fill the forms for her to enter the test line required for becoming a Potions Master or, in her case, a Potions Mistress. The official who we talked with was a straight, married man."

"Was Olivia's behaviour towards him any different than towards her family members and friends?" Miss Keddle asked.

Severus nodded again briefly. "It was the exact opposite," he said quietly. "She was cautious and kept glancing at him like she'd been afraid he might attack her. Whenever he said something with a louder voice than normal, Olivia took a step backwards, flinching as though she'd been hit." His voice was quiet, but everybody heard it, since the whole courtroom was quiet.

"Have you ever seen this kind of behaviour from her when she's with you or your husband?" Mr. Lyncay asked, obviously trying to catch him in his words.

"No, never." Severus shook his head.

"So we can safely assume that Miss Malfoy has no problems when interacting with homosexual men, but is indeed afraid of heterosexual men?" Robert continued before their opponents had the change to ask anything.

"From what I've seen, yes." Severus nodded.

"You seem to know Olivia rather well despite the short time you've known her. Do you think it would be wise to place her in a so-called 'normal' family, with a man and a woman, maybe a couple of children?"

The Potions Master snorted. "If you want to cause her life-long traumas, then yes," he said dryly. "If you want the best for her, you'll never do anything like that."

"Is there anybody in near touch with the family who could help Olivia with the issues she has about her abuse?" Mr. Lyncay questioned sharply.

"I should think so," Severus said in a dry tone. "I, personally, endured the whole of seventeen years of physical abuse from my own father. I think I am capable of helping Olivia with whatever issues she might have about her own childhood."

The official raised his eyebrows slightly, determinedly ignoring the shocked sounds from their audience. "And what about the other possible issues? It is known that she has had bad experiences with Death Eaters. Both Lucius Malfoy and you are former members of this group. Have you spoken with her about this?"

"We have talked about it, yes," he replied almost carelessly. "I don't exactly know what Lucius has told her, but I, personally, have discussed the topic with Olivia. She knows and understands the motives behind my joining to the group, and she's aware of the crimes I've committed while posing as a Death Eater. She's also aware of the fact that I was spying for the Light and that I wasn't truly loyal to the beliefs of the Dark side."

"And does she have any problems about this?"

"Not that I'm aware of. As I said, she understands and respects my choices. She's never questioned my loyalties, nor has she ever showed feeling threatened by my Death Eater status."

"It sounds like you would be a better parent to her than the Malfoys," Weasley said then sharply. "Whatever she might need, it's _you_ who is capable of helping her. So please, do tell us, why is she their daughter at the moment, and not yours?"

Severus met his gaze steadily. "Because while I do love her like one would love a pleasant niece, or even a goddaughter," he said smoothly, "Remus and Lucius love her like she was their own flesh and blood. I don't know about you, but I do value that pretty high."

A point to them, again.

After that, the questioning went on for still some time. However, Severus's friends from the Ministry were smart and fast enough to always turn it to their desired direction, keeping the whole thing well on the safe waters. In the end, the Malfoys, Sirius, and Harry surrounded the Lead Potions Master as soon as he stepped out of the witness's place.

"That was brilliant," Remus sighed in relief. "You were right, Weasley had truly come up with some very troublesome questions, and that Lyncay guy wasn't any easier. Fortunately, your friends were this time cleverer than our opponent." He glared momentarily at Weasley, who purposefully ignored his gaze.

"I know. I have to give a full confession to Robert and Jane about that," Severus said with a slight grin. "In the other testimonies, I'm also setting the questions. I can only hope I can do as well as they did." He gave an approving smile to the other official, who had just come to their side.

"While we are still in the topic..." Robert said, starting to glance through his parchments. "You and your husband are required in the third questioning room tonight seven o'clock. We'll work with his questioning there."

Severus nodded. "Very well." He glanced at Sirius, and smirked slightly. "What do you think? Will we make it?"

"Whatever," Sirius shrugged. "As long as Weasley doesn't ask my favourite Quidditch team."

"And what if I do that instead?" Severus asked, smirking slightly.

"Then you'd better be prepared to carry me home in very, very little pieces," Sirius replied with a shrug. "Our side are of course avid fans of the Magpies, but I heard that Weasley is nuts on the Chudley Cannons."

"Very funny, Sirius," Severus snorted, slapping his husband slightly on the neck. "Since we are taking the main witnesses first, I'm afraid that after Sirius is your turn," he said then to the Malfoys. "Lucius is the day after tomorrow and Remus is on Friday. Weasley of course tried to put you on my place, claiming that you were the most important of the participants," he added grimly, looking at Remus. "I pushed your testimony as far away from the full moon as possible, but to Friday is the best I can do."

Remus nodded wearily. "I understand, and I'm grateful," he said quietly. "I can only imagine what it'd been if I'd had to prepare for the questions the day after the full moon. The drugs made me able to maintain a calm face, but I didn't even hear half of what was spoken."

"Don't forget the public questioning that would have been today," Lucius reminded him gently. "I know it's still hard to you to hide the signs of the wolf from showing, and that's just the image we want to avoid."

To this, none of them could say anything. They all nodded in a perfect agreement.

* * *

Next chapter: **Cute and Fluffy**

For once, everything seems to be going well for the Malfoys. The situation in the trial is leaning to their side, Olivia is happy with her new pet, and only happy and joyous memories show up. Not even Malcolm Snape is as nasty as usually...


	20. Cute and Fluffy

p 22 before Christmas like Disclaimer: I only own some OCs here and there.

A/N: For once, everything's happy, good, cute, and fluffy... Enjoy it while you can, it certainly won't last long!

* * *

..Our little one. . 

Chapter Twenty

Cute and Fluffy

* * *

This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

* * *

The next day it was the turn for Sirius's questioning. The Animagus walked to his place, looking self-confident, then locked his eyes at his husband, waiting for him to start the questioning. 

"Your full name, age, and current working position?" Severus asked calmly.

"Sirius Julian Black, forty-three, the secondary superior of the Werewolf Department of the Ministry of Magic."

"Is there any special reason why you work in the Werewolf Department?"

"Well, my best friend, Remus Malfoy, is a werewolf," Sirius replied levelly. "I want to do my best to help him and his kind and make their life easier than it previously was with all the restrictions the Ministry had forced upon them."

"What are your ties to the Malfoy family?"

"Well, as I just said, Remus Malfoy is my best friend, and has been since we were schoolboys. Draco Malfoy is my husband's nephew, and Lucius Malfoy is my husband's ex-brother-in-law and best friend, as well as my own personal friend. Plus, Draco Malfoy's fiancé Harry Potter is my godson and adopted son."

"How well do you know Olivia Malfoy?"

"I've met her in several occasions. She's also spent some time in our house."

"Really? And why did she do that?" asked Weasley, trying to get the lead of the questioning to their side. Apparently he assumed that the Malfoys had been fighting and Olivia had needed asulym. Well, he was right about that, but they would certainly not let him know that unless he asked it directly. Not even working for the greater good could get anyone past the magical bindings that prevented the witness from saying an outright lie, but leaving something untold was not impossible. It was not Veritaserum, after all.

"It's kind of become a tradition in our group of friends to plan any weddings in the Black Manor, which is our home," Sirius said calmly. "Our own wedding was planned there, as was the Malfoys'. So, when my adopted son and Draco Malfoy started to plan their wedding, they came to stay in the Black Manor, and Olivia came along with them to spend some time with us."

"You have spent the period of twelve years in Azkaban, from 1981 to 1993. Why were you imprisoned?"

"I was accused of betraying the Potters to the Dark Lord, as well as killing Peter Pettigrew and several Muggles," Sirius said. "Later I was proved innocent to all those crimes."

"You also spent later a year in Azkaban, October 1998 through October 1999. What was the reason for this?" Mr. Lyncay asked then.

"I am an Animagus," Sirius replied calmly. "By that time, I was an unregistered one."

"Really? And what is your form?"

Sirius grinned a bit. "I'm a Grim," he said.

The wizard raised his eyebrows. "A Grim?" he echoed. "Rather unusual form for an Animagus, I might say. When did you become an Animagus, and how long did it take from you?"

"It took me three years to complete the transformation," the Animagus replied without batting an eyelid. "I completed it at the age of fifteen."

"Three years? And completed it when you were fifteen?" the official echoed. "Very well. I suppose you are aware of the fact that many extremely strong wizards have tried to complete the Animagus transformation without ever being successful?"

"Yes, I'm aware of that."

"So how comes you did this -- alone, even?"

"For one thing, I wasn't alone," Sirius corrected him. "Also two of my friends, James Potter and Peter Pettigrew, studied and completed the transformation. And as of how we succeeded, well, we had a rather good motivation."

"Oh? And what was that?" Robert asked, determined to get the questioning back to his and Severus's lead.

"We wanted to help our friend." Sirius was quiet for a moment, and he glanced at Remus before continuing, "In the middle of our second year in Hogwarts we, James, Peter, and I, discovered that our dormmate, Remus Lupin, was a werewolf. Because the Wolfsbane Potion wasn't invented until several years later, he had to be locked in the Shrieking Shack for every full moon. In absence of human prey, the wolf clawed and bit himself. These self-inflicted wounds, additional to the pain and wounds of the actual transformation, made every full moon a nightmare to our friend.

"And the werewolf only goes for human prey. So, we decided to become Animagi in order to be with Remus. Once we completed the trick, we could stay with Remus every full moon. His wolf side didn't want to attack us when we were animals. Because we, too, were humans in an animal form, our presence made him able to maintain a bit of his humanity, and he could fight down the wolf's urge to hurt something - in this case, himself, the nearest to a human there was."

"Do you still spend the full moons together with him?" Severus asked, acting curious very well. If they hadn't known better, the Malfoys could have sworn that he didn't know a thing about the whole topic.

"Whenever I'm able to, yes, I'm present during the transformation, when the Wolfsbane Potion's effects can momentarily be weaker than during the wolf-period."

"So there is a danger during the transformation?" Weasley asked quickly, looking all too smug for his own good.

"No, absolutely not. The only way anybody might hurt themselves is standing next to him when he transforms, when they could accidentally be hurt by his forming claws. What I mean is that the pain-killing part of the Wolfsbane isn't always working on the full force, and he can also lose his awareness of his body -- the wolf doesn't attack, however. My presence merely makes the pain more bearable and makes him able to maintain his consciousness through the transformation."

"So he is also safe for Olivia Malfoy to be around?" Severus asked swiftly.

"Of course he is!" exclaimed Sirius. "Remus would never cut a hair from the girl's head. He considers Olivia his own child, a cub if we are to say so -- and a werewolf would never harm its cub any more than it would attack its mate, dosed with the Wolfsbane Potion or not."

"Has Olivia ever seemed to be uncomfortable with the werewolf notion?" Mister Lyncay cut in.

"Absolutely not. I've seen her petting Moony's fur and feeding him chocolate."

"Moony?" echoed Mr. Lyncay. "What you mean?"

"Moony is the name we usually use for Remus's wolf form," Sirius explained ever so patiently. "It's a remnant from our younger days, when we could only be in the wolf's company as animals. All our animal forms had a special nickname, so it seemed natural to give Remus's wolf side one as well."

"I see." Mr. Lyncay wrote something down. "Do you think Olivia Malfoy is happy in her current family?"

"Definitely. Remus and Lucius love her, and she loves them. Even a blind man would see that there's no better place for her than the one where she is right now."

Not much else was said during the questioning, and definitely nothing important. Therefore, it was rather soon that the questioning was called ended. A smile graced Severus's lips as he collected his parchments to go to join his friends and family.

They'd won this time, too.

* * *

"Where are we going?" asked Olivia curiously as she walked behind Lucius down the Diagon Alley. The eldest of Malfoys had some business there, and he had taken Olivia with him, giving Remus a strong recommendation to rest. The werewolf had tried to protest at first, saying that he would come with them or maybe stay home with Olivia, but at last his post-full moon exhaustion that hadn't really ended yet had sunk in. Therefore, the two other occupants of the Malfoy Manor had left him sleeping. 

"This is our destination—the Magical Menagerie," Lucius said, smirking slightly. "It is by far the most popular magical pet shop in the country -- as well as a part of Malfoy Industries, of course."

"Really?" asked Olivia, her eyes shining with excitement.

"Really," the blond replied, nodding. "Come on. We're here to check the business."

"Good evening, Lord Malfoy, Young Lady Malfoy," the shopkeeper said with an exaggerrated bow as they stepped in. "I'm honoured to have you here in my tiny and worthless shop."

"One word more, and I'm going to fire you," said Lucius levelly. "So stop groveling and tell me whether you have anything new around here."

"Of course, Lord Malfoy, of course," the other man said hastily. "These arrived just this morning." He led them to a big cage in the corner of the shop.

The cage was swarming with some weird-looking creatures neither of the Malfoys had ever seen before. They were like squirrels with a snake's head -- a head that seemed to be much too big for the thin, long neck to carry. There were animals in every colour thre, even though their eyes were all the same vibrant yellow shade without exception.

"What exactly are these ridiculous creatures?" Lucius asked, mildly interested in the small animals.

"They are saroths, Lord Malfoy. A new magical species from India. Each animal only takes a liking on some certain kind of people, and will only pick a suitable master for themselves from among those people. Once they've made their pick, they are fiercely loyal to their owners."

"Well, they certainly _look_ interesting," he said dryly. "But what about people who are _not_ their owners? Are they aggressive?"

"Only if their owner is being threatened. Otherwise, they are surprisingly tolerant for magical creatures of their intelligence. In fact," the shopkeeper added then with a smirk, "they have an odd trait that might be of interest to you."

"Oh?" Lucius raised his eyebrows, glancing over his shoulder at Olivia, who was crouched in front of the cage. "And what is it, pray tell?"

"Saroths," the shopkeeper said, "like werewolves. Or, rather, they love them. Only their owners are more precious to saroths than any nearby werewolf."

"Really?" Without another word he turned towards Olivia. "Do you like those creatures, little one?"

"Well, they're cute," Olivia replied, smiling up at him. "And they seem rather kind to me."

"That they are, Young Lady Malfoy," the shopkeeper assured her. "If you want to let one pick you for their mistress, just put your hand into the cage."

"My hand into the cage?" Olivia paled. "Are you sure it's harmless? Sure they look kind, but those fangs also look pretty sharp." She eyed the fangs -- every creature had a pair of those, long enough to penetrate her palm.

"Do not worry, Young Lady Malfoy. They are perfectly harmless. No saroth will ever attack a human unless their owner is in danger."

"You'd better be very sure," Lucius said calmly. "I'm going to feed one of your fingers to them for every scratch Olivia gets to her hand."

The man paled, but still gestured Olivia to put her hand into the cage through the small lid on top of it. He seemed to be very sure of the saroths' harmlessness -- Lucius was indeed a man who would do what he threated.

Olivia finally dared to put her hand in to the cage. In an instant several saroths came to examine it. One by one, however, they left, until one jumped upwards and grasped her sleeve. As the tiny creature wrapped her tail around the Ciddle's wrist, the others gave up.

"She seems to like me," Olivia noted, smiling. She pulled her hand away from the cage, petting the tiny creature's head.

"That she does, Young Lady Malfoy," the shopkeeper said. "It looks like she has picked you for her mistress."

And so, Olivia departed from the store with a small creature of sky blue and dark blue sitting on her shoulder, pressing its head against her cheek in an affectionate gesture.

* * *

While Lucius and Olivia were on the Diagon Alley, Remus was dreaming of past. His dreams, however, were a lot more pleasant than Severus's had been a bit over a week earlier.

* * *

6th of July, 1993

* * *

Remus opened his eyes slowly. As he got them fully open, he noticed that he was looking right into a pair of warm, silver grey eyes. 

"Lucius," the werewolf sighed happily. "So it wasn't just a dream."

"No, it wasn't," the blond confirmed. He reached out a hand, tracing Remus's cheek with light fingertips. "I am here, Remus, with you... And I don't plan to leave you this time."

"Good," Remus sighed, then snuggled up to his newly-returned lover. He was still a bit tired, so he pressed himself against Lucius's side and closed his eyes again.

Soon the warmth radiating from the other man's body and the steady hand softly tracing circles to his back lulled him back to sleep.

* * *

Some time later Remus again woke up. This time, however, he noticed that his side was empty. A small sigh escaped his lips as he sat up in the bed, trying to force himself to get up and dress himself. 

'_It was not a dream_,' he told himself firmly. Well, of course he knew it hadn't been a dream -- he could still feel Lucius's scent on the pillow and the sheets, even his warmth radiating from the cooling bed. But he would have wanted to finally wake up with Lucius still lying by his side.

What else had he expected, anyway? Lucius had a family, and business to attend to. He wasn't just a poor, jobless werewolf like Remus himself was. He hardly could expect the blond to stay for the day.

Although he did hope that Lucius would come back later.

As soon as he opened the door to step out of his bedroom, however, a sweet scent assaulted his oversensitive nostrils. Instantly recognizing his favourite kind of tea, he headed towards the kitchen on a much better mood. He didn't dare to even imagine what he would do if it was only one of his so-called friends who'd decided to come for a visit.

But no, it was Lucius. Lucius, who stood there in all his Malfoy-ish glory, leaning against the counter with a cup of hot tea steaming in his hands. To his great joy Remus noticed that the cane had been abandoned, and that Lucius's posture was much more relaxed than usual.

"Good morning," the werewolf said with a warm smile. "Nice to see you haven't left yet."

"It's not polite to leave while the other is sleeping, I've been told," Lucius replied, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "I do fear I'll have to leave sooner or later, however," he then added with something as near to an apologizing tone as he only could manage. "Narcissa and Draco are probably already wondering why I haven't got back home, and if I don't show up around midday, they'll get worried."

"What, they haven't got used yet to your various affairs?" asked Remus jokingly as he made his way to the teapot. Although his tone and words were playful, however, he was strained to hear the answer. It might mean a lot.

"What affairs?" asked Lucius back calmly. "I'll let you know, my dear, that while Narcissa has had many affairs around, I have never had any."

"You saved yourself for me, eh?" Remus then said teasingly. "How sweet of you, Lucius."

"You're welcome," was the only response he got, accompanied by Lucius's raised eyebrow.

"I didn't think you could actually make tea," Remus mentioned then with a slight smile as he sipped his drink. "The house-elves must always make it for you, how did you learn it?"

The blond Slytherin raised an eyebrow again. "You honestly think that I could be a Potions Master without knowing how to brew decent tea?" he asked. "I'm very disappointed with you, Remus. You're the one who should know better, of all people!"

"Sorry," he said. "I must have forgotten some things during all these years." He didn't mean his words to come out as accusing as they did. However, to his great surprise, Lucius actually looked guilty for a fleeting moment instead of just shrugging it off.

"Anyway," Lucius said then, collecting back his usual well-controlled self. "As we don't have much time left before I'll have to leave... What would you say about using that time to our advantange as well as possible?"

"Sounds great to me." And with that and a small, soft smile, Remus stepped forward to kiss him right on the lips.

* * *

16th of June, 1996

* * *

With a simple flick of his wand, Lucius made the magical litter rose from the carriage. Remus, who lay rather comfortably on the litter, eyed his surroundings through half-closed eyelids. As he saw where they were, however, his eyes widened with surprise and shock. 

"Yes, we are indeed in the Malfoy Manor," Lucius said, seeing his reaction. "Don't worry, though. I've got all silver objects transferred to the east wing, which is never used. You'll be perfectly safe here."

Remus was almost too exhausted to speak, so he didn't bother even trying, shaking his head slowly instead. The silver wasn't what shocked and worried him. No, it was the fact that Lucius had brought him to his home. Of course he'd known that Narcissa knew all about their relationship, but this... This just seemed more... personal.

And just then the woman he'd been thinking about rushed outside. "Oh, so you arrived at last," Narcissa said, smiling brightly. "Come in, will you. I'd like to introduce you to our other guest."

"Other guest?" echoed Remus wearily and warily. Of course the Malfoys trusted his guest, but he himself was untrustful. If Voldemort found out about his current condition and place, not only would he get slaughtered, but also Lucius and his family would suffer.

The man he saw upon being led on the litter to the master sitting room, however, was not a Death Eater. Instead he was a rather pleasant-looking man, with reddish brown hair and warm brown eyes. He was surveying them with curious eyes, a slight smile on his lips.

Narcissa immediately went to plant a light kiss on the man's temple. "Remus, this is Thomas Narcair, my lover of a year and a half now," she said brightly. "And Thomas, this is Remus Lupin, my husband's lover of three years if I'm not mistaken."

"Well, that must have been the most interesting introduction I've ever heard," muttered Lucius with a small smirk playing on his lips. "You know, Narcissa, not many women could introduce anybody as their 'husband's lover of three years' without batting an eyelid."

The woman shrugged. "Being married to a Malfoy teaches you many things," she replied levelly. "And the first one is: 'The best way to deal with a Malfoy is to offer a bargain or make a threat.' I will be civil to your lover as long as you're civil to mine."

"Sounds like we have a deal." Turning towards Remus, Lucius continued then, "We'd better get you to a bed for some rest now, what do you think?"

Remus smiled weakly and nodded. He couldn't even begin to imagine how he could be so exhausted, but he figured that it was just his wolf side healing him and eating up his energy.

As Lucius began to move the litter out of the room, the last thing Remus heard before drifting into a peaceful slumber was Narcissa's voice. "And remember, Lucius," the woman said, "absolutely nothing else but sleep in your bed right now. You would only hold back his recovery!"

* * *

END FLASHBACKS

* * *

Remus woke up as he heard sounds. They were whispers, he soon discovered as he woke up enough to comprehend what he was hearing.

"There's no need to whisper," he said quietly. "I woke up already."

"Oh!" exclaimed Olivia. "We didn't wake you up, did we?"

"No," he lied. Then he muttered, "How was your trip to the Menagerie, anyway?"

"Very good, actually," Lucius replied, smiling. "Olivia found herself a new pet."

"Look at her," Olivia said with a slight smile. "She's a saroth. I've named her Ssaratha."

Remus sat up to look at the creature, a bit wary. Not a few magical creatures had attacked him or tried to flee at the sight of him. Werewolves were not popular, not even among animals.

To his great surprise, however, the weird-looking creature on her adopted daughter's shoulder just eyed him curiously for a moment. Then she jumped, landing on his shoulder. Caressing his cheek slightly with her head, Ssaratha wrapped her fluffy tail behind his neck.

"So the shopkeeper was telling the truth," Olivia said, smiling brightly now. "They do like werewolves."

"Unbelievable," Remus muttered, raising his fingers to caress the little creature's soft fur. "Usually all magical creatures hate me. The more intelligent the animal is, the more surely it will keep away from me."

"Well, supposedly saroths are even more intelligent than the others," Lucius said, smirking.

"Mmm-hmm," was the only response he got.

* * *

"Your full name, age, and current working position?" Severus started in an official manner. 

"Lucius Philippe Alasthor Malfoy, six days short of fifty, member of the Ministry Council."

"What department you represent in the Council?"

"The Potions Master Department."

"And what are your qualifications to represent this particular department?"

"I'm a fully qualified Potions Master and a member of the Guild, as well as one of the Potions Master's Council. Of course, the fact that my best friend Severus Black is the Lead Potions Master doesn't hurt, either."

"Is your position in the Potions Master's Council a result of favouritism, then?" asked Weasley quickly.

"No," replied Lucius firmly. "The members of the council are strictly the best Potions Masters in the country. Every year the Guild publishes new ranking lists, and the ten best of every country form the Council of that specific country."

"What do you think about the fact that your husband is a werewolf?" Mister Lyncay questioned him then. "And how is your life different because of this?"

Lucius met his gaze steadily. "That particular fact hardly affects our lives expect around the full moon," the blond man replied calmly. "I think of it as a disadvantage because it forces him to go through excruciating pain every month and to deal with the exhaustion and depression that always follow the transformation. My life would probably be very different if Remus wasn't a werewolf -- I wouldn't have to avoid having silver in our house, to worry about him every month, or to brew the Wolfsbane Potion. However, I knew what I was entitled to when I proposed to him, and even if his Lycanthropy has made my life different from what it otherwise would be, I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Your adopted daughter is a Ciddle. Does this reflect on your relationship with her?"

"Why should it?" asked Lucius. "We knew of her unability to use wand magic even before we adopted her. Of course I hope she would be able to use all kinds of magic, but she seems to be happy with the talents she has. Therefore, I love her no more or less for the fact that she's a Ciddle."

"But what about the Pureblood issue?" Weasley tried. "Malfoys are known to pay a lot of attention to the purity of blood."

"Correction: Malfoys _were_ known to value it," the blond said calmly. "I couldn't care less of the purity or unpurity of her blood. As a Ciddle, she's a child of a Pureblood and a Squib, and thus she is considered equal to a Pureblood. My husband is a Halfblood. Not only I accept him for what he is, but I'd also like to note that if we had a biological child, their blood would be less pure than Olivia's."

"What do you know about Seeing?" asked Weasley then, taking a wholly different turn in the questioning.

Lucius shrugged. "Not much," he answered quite truthfully. "Many things can trigger a vision. Usually it's an object or a place that has a memory or memories attached to it. Seers' memories cause visions more often than other people's, and those visions are also stronger. Once a person has fallen into a trance, they cannot be woken up until the vision has ended, and only the Blocking Potion can keep a Seer or a Seeress from having a vision in the presece of a strong memory channel."

Weasley raised his eyebrows. "'Not much?'" he echoed. "That's more than most people know. What's there you _don't_ know, then?"

"I don't know how the Seer's Guild tests a person's sensitivity to visions. I don't know how experienced Seers can tell whether somebody's Seeing nearby, where they are, are they a Seer or a Seeress, and how strong is the vision. I've no idea what it feels like to be in a trance, or why it's impossible to tear one's mind away from a vision. I only know things that a person without the gift of Seeing can."

"Then how does your daughter get any information about using her own gift?" asked Severus mildly.

Lucius resisted heroically the strong urge to roll his eyes towards the ceiling. "My best friend, Severus Black, who is a first-level Seer, answers any questions she has," he replied.

"Does your position as a Potions Master have anything to do with the fact that your adopted daughter Olivia is being trained in Potions?" Severus asked then.

"No. Olivia is being trained in Potions because she's got talents for it and because she likes it. Of course it pleases me that we share the same interests, but she could study anything else if she took a liking on it."

"Who is teaching Olivia, then?" Robert inquired. "Are you her tutor?"

"Well, at first I was," Lucius replied. "Now, I only advise her every so often. The majority of her tutoring is done by my best friend and former brother in-law, the forementioned Severus Black."

"What is your full opinion of said Severus Black?" Severus asked mildly.

Lucius shot him a glare. The other Slytherin had no right to ask that! Well, in fact he had, but... "He's stubborn as hell, snappish, extremely nasty and even cruel at times, mostly uncaring about other people's feelings, unsocial, ridiculously meticulous, and one of the most difficult personalities to deal with I've ever come to know, including Lord Voldemort --"

Now Weasley looked dumbstruck. "And you trust him to tutor your daughter in the use of potentially explosive or poisonous concoctions, leave alone visions that might cause insanity at worst?" he asked disbelievingly.

Lucius merely raised an eyebrow. "Had you not interrupted me, I could have mentioned that he's also one of the most intelligent people I've ever met, the best Potions Master I know of, humorous in his own twisted way, more strong-minded than anyone, extremely brave and cunning, the best friend anybody could hope to have, passionate in both his hate and love, loyal to death, and the nearest thing to a brother I have."

Now Severus was smirking broadly, but he didn't say anything. Instead, Mr. Lyncay did. "Do you really trust your daughter's life in the hands of such a varying man?"

"Of course," the blond said. "I would immediately trust him with the life of my husband, son, and anybody I call a friend. I would gladly put my own life in his hands without a second's hesitation. Why on Earth wouldn't I trust him with Olivia's life?"

"You took two of your children to the Potions Masters' meeting, and they lost their lives there. Can't it thus be stated that their death was partly your fault, and that you cannot properly tell what's safe for your children?" Weasley asked nastily.

Lucius paled a bit, but stayed otherwise calm. As the other members of his extended family stared at him firmly, wishing him strength, he started to speak.

"Because Mrs. Lorna Moonbeam, a Potions Mistress, lost her daughter Polly in this meeting where she'd brought her to, should she lose the custody over her son Matthew also? Since, regarding to your statement, this shows that she's unable to take care of children."

"But do you really love Olivia for who and what she is?" demanded Weasley. "Or do you just see her as a replacement for your lost children?"

The man had to turn his gaze away as he met Lucius's clam, unavoidable eyes. "Your question alone shows that you've never lost a child," the blond Potions Master said softly. "Pray you'll never lose one, either. I could get a hundred daughters and a hundred sons, and yet none of them could replace Joyce or Philip. I saw them grow up for the little time we had them, I watched them as they were swinging, I comforted them when they cried, I picked them up when they fell down. I loved them, believe it or not. How could Olivia ever replace them? I do love her, but I love her because of herself, not because she was reminding me of something that is lost. Just as nobody could replace Olivia, should I lose her," he then added very quietly.

A quick glance around their audience told Severus that the people were in their hands entirely. That was good. "Your honour," he said, "unless our opponents have some questions, I request that this testimony should end."

At this, the judge glanced at Weasley and Lyncay. Both shook their heads, realizing that trying to question Lucius any more would only turn everyone against them. And that was the least they wanted.

"Very well," the judge said. "This testimony shall end now. We'll continue this trial tomorrow, when we will hear Remus Malfoy."

* * *

"Ah, good," Severus said with a slight smirk as they arrived home and he saw something familiar on the table. "My Potions Master's Magazine has been brought already." 

Sirius eyed the cover of the magazine with pretty little interest. "So it's the time for the ranking lists again, eh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Great. Now we'll see just how many people you'll have to poison before you're the best in the world."

"Brat," huffed Severus, swinging an arm towards him. Sirius avoided the hit expertly and chuckled slightly as he went to the nearby shelf and started to look for the latest volume of his favourite Quidditch magazine. He wanted to read the interview of Harry the magazine had done. Meanwhile, his husband settled onto the couch and opened his own magazine, quickly flipping to the page where the listings began.

Suddenly, Severus's eyes widened. "Sirius," he said breathlessly. "Sirius, do come and see this."

"What now?" asked his husband, frowning. "Aren't you on the top ten list anymore?" While speaking, he walked to the couch, settling to stand behind it.

Severus simply pointed at the page. Sirius leant forward to read over his husband's shoulder, and his jaw dropped down.

"World Top Ten," read the title on the top of the page. Then, beneath it, there was the paragraph that had shocked and surprised them both so much. "The Best: Severus Miracol Snape Black, 43, the Lead Potions Master of Great Britain. A full member of both the Potions Master's Guild and the Alchemist's Guild. Became a Potions Master as the youngest one ever, as well as the only one who's ever passed the test on their first time. The inventor of the Wolfsbane Potion, the Non-Addictive Dreamless Sleep Potion, etc."

Sirius turned slowly to look at his husband, who was staring up at him, disbelief shining from his usually masked face.

"I don't believe it," muttered Severus, "this must be some kind of a joke..."

"Well, if it is not true," Sirius said, "this is the most enormous practical joke I've ever seen. But who would ever want to make a joke like this? I do believe they've finally realized your value, love."

"Well, Victor Bellon did die last November," the Slytherin said thoughtfully. "His Hippogriff finally got enough of him -- on that note, I don't want to see that Duckhead --"

"Buckbeak."

"Whatever it is, I don't want to see it anywhere near this house, or anywhere near _you_. And Shai No did fail his performance really badly in the Chinese Convention, and Monique Durót got herself killed when trying to fight a vampire -- she was a fine woman, really, I will miss her. Of course I also developed further some rather complicated recipes, and checked the new version of Skele-Gro for undesired side-effects and such, but still..."

"Oh, shut up," Sirius said happily. "You more than deserve this. And what is this?" he asked then, his eyes already darting further down the paragraph. "Inventor of 37 Alchemist's Guild -level potions? I don't know much about potions, Sev, but I do know that some of the best Potions Masters have used their whole lives trying to get the membership of the Guild, never managing to create even one potion that would gain them that title. You're simply a genius!"

"Hardly," Severus muttered. "And Simon Chalkwright has invented 42 Guild-level potions."

"But he's never passed his Potions Master's test, and none of those potions are even half as complicated as any of yours," said a cheerful voice behind them. Turning around, they saw the Malfoys standing in the doorway. "We just saw the top ten list," continued Lucius, who'd been the one to speak. "Congratulations, my friend. You've most certainly deserved this."

"Sirius has been telling me the same, and I didn't believe him, either," said Severus with a smirk. "And what about you?"

"Forty-ninth on the top fifty list. He was also the third on the British top ten," Olivia supplied helpfully.

At that, Sirius laughed. "And they have the gall to ask whether you're qualified enough to tutor Olivia," he said, grinning broadly.

Severus smirked again. "Indeed. Well, what else can you expect from a Gryffindor?"

"Hey, I resent that!" exclaimed Sirius. "At least we are brave and aren't afraid of some silly things!"

"Like?" asked Severus, raising an eyebrow. Although his tone was still light, the others froze. Severus's biggest fear besides having children were high places. That was a direct consequence of his unfortunate flight down the stairs. If Sirius didn't realize that and instead teased his husband about his acrophobia, it would do no good.

However, fortunately Sirius was more intelligent than they gave him credit for -- or he was just too used to living with Severus. Either way, he replied, "Well, I've never heard of a Gryffindor who was afraid of Muggles."

"Afraid of Muggles?" echoed Olivia, a broad grin on her face. "Isn't that a bit exaggerrated?"

"Maybe, but not much," the Animagus replied cheerfully. "These dear gentlemen will do about anything rather than dealing with anything Muggle. I know for certain that Severus once walked five miles rather than take a Muggle bus."

"Well, five miles is not an impossible distance for an adult man," Remus said, trying to suppress his grin. He didn't manage. After all, he had many years' experience about living with a tightly Pureblood Slytherin. Lucius maybe didn't mind Muggles, but he did try to avoid them and their devices as much as possible.

"When it's raining dogs and cats?" asked Sirius, bemused. "He was dripping wet after five steps. And of course he forced me to walk with him instead of taking the bus."

"Then why didn't you just use a waterproof spell?" Lucius asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For the same reason as of why we didn't simply Disapparate," Severus replied dryly. "We couldn't use any magic, as we'd just sabotaged a Death Eater raid. They had our magical imprints there, and if we'd used magic too near to that place, we'd been hunted down for sure."

"Meaning that he didn't want to trust wand magic," mentioned Sirius with a just as dry tone. "He didn't even allow me to call the Knight Bus -- although that was probably also because he's a Slytherin."

"The Knight Bus?" echoed Olivia interestedly. "What is it?"

"It's something you don't even need to know about," Lucius said calmly. "Just pray you'll never have to trust it for transportation."

"It's not a way of transportation," huffed Severus. "It's a means of torture."

However, the fact that the both Gryffindors were laughing didn't do any good to convince Olivia of the Knight Bus's inapproprierity.

* * *

"Your full name, age, and current working position?" Severus started Remus's questioning the usual way. 

"Remus Jonathan Malfoy, forty-three, the Keeper of the Wolf's Staff."

"And what does the Keeper of the Wolf's Staff mean?"

"I'm the alpha male of all werewolves in the world," replied Remus levelly. "Any decision on a legal matter concerning werewolves has to be approved by me or the alpha of the continent or the specific country, depending on how large area it is going to have effect on. And of course, the alphas of the countries and continents are under my rulement as well."

"Is there another alpha here in our country, or are you also the alpha of United Kingdom?"

Remus raised his eyebrows. "Any country is full of alphas, as every pack has their own alpha pair," he said. "But no, I'm 'only' the alpha of the world. Mike Wassyer is the alpha male of United Kingdom. And of course, every area has its alpha female, too -- the world as well."

"Who is the alpha female of the world, then?"

"Ramona Mortense, from Brazil," replied Remus.

"The alpha male and female of any pack are usually a couple. Are you in a relationship with the said Ramona Mortensen?" Weasley asked snidely.

"If I may remind you, I am married, Mr. Weasley," Remus replied calmly. "I don't know what exactly _your _views on showing loyalty to one's spouse, but I am in fact faithful to my husband."

At this, some of the audience chuckled slightly as they saw Weasley's flush. Lucius smirked a bit, but his eyes did not leave Remus for a single moment.

"Very well." The redhead's eyes flashed. "Are you involved with Dark Arts?"

"Do please elaborate, Mister Weasley," Remus replied calmly. "As a werewolf, I am a Dark creature by nature, and while it cannot be held against me, it still qualifies as being involved with the Dark Arts."

This, of course, only irritated their opponent further. "Did you, or did you not, use the Unforgivable Curses in both Wars against the Dark Lord?" questioned Weasley sharply.

"Like you stated, we were in a war," replied Remus quite calmly. "Who didn't do anything we had to not only to win, but to survive? Has anybody blamed Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore for using the Killing Curse on Lord Voldemort?"

This silenced Weasley for a moment. Then, however, he was back to his usual self. "It is known that the ranking order of werewolves favours those who are skilled and powerful not only on mental level, but also in the Dark Arts. If you are as innocent as you claim to be, then how are you the alpha male of all werewolves in the world?"

Remus let out a long-suffering sigh. "What you obviously don't know about werewolves is that it's not quite that simple. Even though it is true that the alpha is almost always also the most powerful in the Dark Arts in their pack, you have to remember that werewolves are by nature so-called Dark creatures. Therefore, every werewolf is skilled in the Dark Arts, regardless of whether or not they have ever performed a single spell. My powers in Dark Arts are almost exactly the same as my other magical powers overall. However, as I indeed used those skills in the two Wars, my skills are even greater in the Dark Arts than in other magic. This does not, however, mean that I'd ever used the Dark Arts other than in the Wars to defend myself and my loved ones."

It took all self-control Sirius had not to raise an eyebrow. Being the secondary superior of the Werewolf Department -- his only superiors were the Minister, Mike Wassyer, and Remus -- he knew about all there was to a non-lycanthropic wizard to know about werewolves. Therefore, he also knew very well that even though all werewolves had a strong temptation for the Dark Arts, their natural powers in that area of magic were rarely greater than one third of their other natural powers, half at most. Nobody could prove that Remus was necessarily lying, as it varied with each werewolf. However, Sirius was absolutely sure that Remus had not been originally that powerful, not could he have gained such a skill by merely using the Dark Arts. No, he'd had to be systematically practicing them, his sole purpose to develop his skills and powers.

And how exactly could Remus say that? It was not just hiding information, it was an outright lie. The spells binding the witnesses should have prevented it!

He could question Remus about it later. Now, the trial had to go on.

"Fine." Before Weasley could go on, Severus had caught the control to himself. "What is your relationship with Olivia?"

"I consider her my daughter," the werewolf replied calmly, "and I love her as such. I would gladly give my life for her, not hesitating a moment."

This silenced their opponents for a moment. Robert, however, was immediately ready to jump at the occasion. "Would you ever hurt her, for any reason?" he asked.

Remus looked horrified at the mere thought -- what he was, of course. "I'd never intentionally hurt her," he replied firmly. "I would die rather than let any harm come to her. As the wolf in me considers her his cub, he wouldn't ever hurt her, either."

"Malfoys are known to be a family of long traditions and Pureblood preferences," Weasley cut in. "What would you say if Olivia one day came to you with a Muggleborn girl who's just come out of Hogwarts to the magical world, and presented this girl as her lover?"

Remus smiled calmly. "I would welcome both Olivia and her lover, as I trust her judgement. I'm homosexual myself, and I'm a Halfblood as well, so I don't see any problems with the situation you presented. It will only do good to avoid inbreeding."

Weasley continued hastily, like he was only trying to keep the questioning away from Severus's and Robert's hands, "Did Olivia know of your dead children before this trial?"

Remus raised an eyebrow quite expertly -- he was a Malfoy, after all. "We've told her everything about Philip, Joyce, and Kathleen," he replied levelly. "Whatever she has asked, we have answered. Not a thing of our history is a secret to her."

"Does she know of your times in prison, then?" Mister Lyncay asked quite casually.

"Yes. She does know that both I and Lucius have been in Azkaban, and that we were both found innocent to the crimes we were accused of. Olivia also knows of the side-effects these unreasoned imprisoments have caused, and has never showed any problems with them."

"Side-effects, like?" was Weasley's next sharp question.

"I myself have often nightmares." Remus drew a deep breath, then continued, "Other side-effects are memories -- or, rather, going too deep into them. Any scientifical study will prove that three months or more spent in Azkaban will cause a habit to drown so deeply into one's dark memories that getting out of them without an outsider's help is impossible. Unfortunately, my husband acquired just this habit -- or, rather curse."

"How do werewolves behave around their family? Both in human and wolf form," asked Severus next, something akin to a smile playing on his lips for a brief moment.

"Around their family?" Remus thought for some time. Then he said, "Any werewolf, be it in either form, would never harm their mate and cubs, or anybody they consider their cub. The Wolfsbane Potion has no effect to this trait; a werewolf wouldn't attack a close pack member even if the wolf was mad from rage. No matter how hostile a werewolf can otherwise be, and threatening even with the Wolfsbane Potion, they are like overgrown puppies around their closest pack. Instead of attacking, they will protect their mate and cubs with their own life if need be. It is not unheard of that a werewolf, be it a human or a wolf, has died to save their pack."

"Would you do that?" Robert asked mildly.

Remus yet again raised his eyebrow. "The higher a werewolf is on the ranking order, the stronger are the wolf's instincts. Even my human side would be immediately ready to give my life for any of my loved ones, and the wolf would be even more eager to do that."

Their opponents did try their best, but fortunately could not come up with anything too bad. In the end they left the courtroom relieved.

As soon as they got home and to the master sitting room, Remus fell into his favourite armchair. "I'm exhausted," he muttered.

"Then rest," said Lucius. "You truly do need rest, you look very pale. A little nap wouldn't do bad to you; I'll wake you up for the dinner."

"I'm not going to sleep," argued Remus. "I'm just going to let my eyes rest for a while..."

Of course, he did fall asleep in the armchair despite his best attempts to the opposite. From this peaceful slumber he was later woken by his husband's voice.

"Mmmm... Lucius?" Remus asked, blinking.

As soon as he saw that his husband was awake, Lucius put his cane-free hand on Remus's eyes. The werewolf exclaimed, surprised, but didn't try to take the hand off his face.

"This way," Lucius murmured into his ear, pulling him up from the chair and leading his way towards the corridor. "There's a surprise waiting for you."

Remus didn't argue, he just followed his husband, trusting him wholly. His keen werewolf hearing snatched different sounds - their breathing and heartbeats, the snapping of Lucius's cane on the floor, everything. In his mind he wondered what the surprise was, but didn't ask anything.

At last they stepped into some room. Remus could sense other people in there. Or, rather, other creatures, since he felt three obviously canine scents and only one human - that was Severus. One of the canines was familiar as well. "Sirius?" he asked. "Why're you in your Animagus form? And who are the other canines?"

"Try to find out," Lucius said. Remus could _hear_ the grin in his voice.

"Well... they're wolves," he said, breathing the scent deep insife. "And a bit of humanity... Animagi?" When he heard an approving sound from Lucius, he continued, "This one," he said, pointing at the nearest wolf, "is Harry. And the other is..." He tried to sense the scent better. It was familiar as well. Draco, most likely. But there was also something else in there...

Then he realized it. "Oh, Merlin," he whispered, and then began laughing from the top of his lungs.

Lucius took his hand off. "What now?" he asked, sounding rather irritated. "What's so funny about this?"

"D-Draco," he laughed. "He is - he is - oh, no, _she_ is -"

"The thing that your husband is trying to say," Sirius said with a grin, returning to his human form, "is the tiny detail that your son is actually a she-wolf in his animal form."

"That was _not_ necessary," Draco said, turning back to his human form. A strong blush was colouring his usually so pale cheeks. "It's not like it was my fault!"

"Not your fault, no," Sirius said, struggling against laughter. "Just extremely rare and very, very funny when accompanied by the truth that people often call you effeminate."

"And what's wrong with being female?" asked Olivia from the other doorway of the room. A slight smile was playing on her lips. "Should I be offended by your reaction, brother dearest?"

"There's nothing wrong with being female, little one," Severus assured her, smirking. "I bet it's just that Draco is worried that Harry might not find him -- or her -- as attractive when he's in _her_ wolf form."

"But shouldn't he be worried if Harry _did_ find him attractive as a wolf?" asked the girl then innocently. This, of course, made the others laugh out loud. Draco, however, just blushed even further, then transformed into a wolf and followed his fiancé out of the room.

It took them some time to get over their amusement. Sirius was the last one to stop laughing, and Olivia was smiling, Severus and Lucius smirking broadly, and Remus grinning.

The werewolf then nodded slowly. "I can't understand just why you go through all that trouble," he said quietly. With a stern tone, he added, "I do hope they are registered at least. I don't want any new scandals right now, especially not either of them being put into Azkaban, leave alone both!"

"They're registered," Lucius assured. "I saw to that myself."

"By the way, Remus," Sirius said then, suddenly remembering something. "I meant to ask about this earlier. Nobody can say that you lied in the trial, but I know better. Your powers in the Dark Arts most certainly aren't only due to your werewolf status. As it is so, then how exactly did you acquire such powers?"

"Sirius," Remus said calmly, a soft smile gracing his lips, "I was fifteen when I cast the Killing Curse for the first time." Ignoring his friend's shocked expression, he continued, "Lucius... he taught them to me, the Unforgivables and many other Dark spells. I was a young werewolf, and fascinated with Dark Arts. There was nothing I wanted more than to know, and he was all too happy to teach."

"Oh." And Sirius remembered now, remembered the dream he had had some time back. Previously he had only remembered the part where Remus had tried to kill himself, but now he also remembered the werewolf talking to him. Remus's words from years back started to echo in his mind.

_"I was fifteen, and desperate to know more about the powers that made me what I was - what I still am. And he was there, the Potions Assistant, young and tempting Lucius Malfoy - and horribly fond of the Dark Arts._

_I asked him about them. And somehow we ended up practising those spells together. Doing that, we also fell in love."_

"It brought you together," he said quietly. "The Dark Arts, I mean. When you practised together."

"So you remember it at last," his friend replied, raising an eyebrow. "I was beginning to think that you were a lot weaker than I thought. After all, Severus has fought down your charms on him three times in two years. From you it took twenty-five years, and I'm not even as close to you as you are to Severus."

"Memory Charms are on the border between Light and Dark," Sirius said, raising an eyebrow. "Therefore, it's quite obvious that your charm was a lot stronger than mine. And we both know that Severus is a strong-minded man, especially when his mind is being invaded with foreign spells or the like."

"Of course I know that," replied Remus calmly. "And I know also that he probably would prefer if you didn't talk about him like he wasn't here."

Now Sirius turned quickly to look at his husband, who had raised his eyebrow, a dry smirk on his lips. The Animagus paled, said, "Uh-oh," transformed and ran out of the door.

"Is there some intelligence-weakening spell they only cast on Gryffindors, Remus?" asked Severus dryly. "Because then your resistance to most spells and curses could explain the fact that you're the only grown-up Gryffindor I've ever known."

" That's probably only because the Sorting Hat was originally going to put me into Ravenclaw," Remus said, smiling. "I begged it to put me into Gryffindor because I was scared of Ravenclaws finding out my secret."

"How did you manage to lie in the trial, anyway?" asked Lucius as they then watched Severus hurrying away, chasing his husband. "Otherwise you were telling the truth, but I do know you lied about your natural Dark powers."

"Easy," replied the werewolf, shrugging. "I'm surprised you didn't notice it."

"Then what was it?" Lucius asked. He wasn't irritated, but it wasn't far away.

"The Wolf's Staff," replied Remus, smirking. "Without it I could only resist the binding spells for some time, but it gives me additional resistance against any charms. So, I could lie about my lycanthropic traits just because I am a Lycanthrope, and their leader on top of that."

"How fitting." And then Lucius leant forward to kiss him right on the lips. Neither of them noticed as Olivia sneaked out of the room, smiling slightly.

* * *

Next chapter: **Shadows Strike**

Meeting Remus's, Severus's, and Sirius's relatives brings Olivia a new friend -- Malcolm Snape. However, not even his support can help much when everything suddenly starts to go awfully wrong. Not only the trial, but the werewolf instincts and horrible memories are taunting seemingly everyone -- and then, Severus's worst fears come true.


	21. Shadows Strike

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: Woah, another chapter this soon... Maybe I truly can send chap 22 before Christmas like I planned!

Warning: The beginning of this chapter maybe seems harmless, but in the end, it turns... bad. Also, implied rape.

* * *

..Our little one. .

Chapter Twenty-One

Shadows Strike

* * *

This part of the chapter is from Draco's POV.

* * *

It's been long since I lastly used my ring for this purpose. Well, it's the time for that now. Pressing the ancient seal ring against the mirror's surface, I wait for the familiar mist to appear. 

"Has any of our guests arrived yet?" I ask from the mirror.

"Yes, Young Master," the cool voice replies. "Both Jonah Barrow and Clarissa Lupin are here already."

For a moment I think, then make my decision. "Show me Jonah Barrow," I command. After all, the boy's a Black by blood, and by character, too. I'd better check what he's doing first.

To my surprise, nothing seems to have gotten broken yet. Unbelievable. Well, maybe he just doesn't dare; Malfoys do have a certain reputation after all. And that reputation does not encourage anyone to sabotage any Malfoy property.

Jonah looks much like Sirius, the same mischief in his equally light blue eyes, but his hair is short and reddish brown. He looks like he's up to something, but then again, you never know -- all Blacks look like they'd been born up to something, it's something in their face.

Although usually they _are_ up to something.

I hope he's been warned about Olivia's shyness. Some joke could be too much for her -- and if he hurts Olivia, I swear I'll hurt him. And badly. Forget about jokes, even; I've heard Jonah is a true casanova, picking girls left and right and dropping them behind almost as soon.

Anyway, he doesn't seem to be doing anything bad -- not at the moment, at least. So, I command the mirror again. "Show me Clarissa Lupin."

Well, she certainly doesn't look mischievous. Sitting on a chair, she looks mostly nervous. Not a miracle either.

Clarissa has the same golden brown hair as Remus has. Besides that, she doesn't look very much like him in general. Her features are softer, and her face is nearly round, unlike Remus's sometimes even sickly thin, oval face. Her body, however, is not round in any means. She's nearly too thin, like she was anorectic. If there's a too strong blow of the wind, she'll probably fly away with it.

She has rather pretty smile, though. It's something I recognize in her - it's exactly the same warm, light smile that Remus has. Very trustworthy, very friendly, very comforting. You immediately want to tell all your worries to her when she smiles. It's a perfect little I-am-a-Prefect-and-I'll-be-a-Head-Girl-in-no-time -like smile. I bet she's a model student.

At least I know she's a Hufflepuff. The whole family is in that House. In fact, I think Remus is the first one outside Hufflepuff in that family for at least one hundred and fifty years. Ironic, huh? A family of Hufflepuffs and a family of Slytherin have gotten together through Father and his marriage.

Anyway, time to check the next patient. As the silvery mist again appears at the touch of my ring, I ask, "Has Malcolm Snape already arrived?" When I get the positive answer, I ask the mirror to show him to me.

In an instant, a picture of a young boy appears in front of me. He's standing in the middle of some room, scowling. Seems like he's not enjoying himself. Well, considering that it's Malcolm we're talking about here, it's not a surprise.

Malcolm hasn't changed a bit since I last saw him; my only living cousin is just as uninviting as always. He has all the family features of Snape's -- the hooked nose, obsidian eyes and ink-black hair. Other than the eyes, those are features mother has seemed to manage not to inherit, and -- fortunately for me, at least when it comes to the nose -- hasn't transferred to me, either. I shiver at that thought. My face would be completely ruined by that nose. For some people it fits, no doubt -- Severus looks rather handsome if you take a more careful look - but in my face it would be a complete mess.

Yeah, he's a Snape. Only his hair seems to be much thicker and softer than Severus's, and he wears it down, not on a long ponytail like our common uncle usually does nowadays, or gluing it down with various potions like Severus used to do.

He doesn't look bad at all, now when I take a more careful look at him. Maybe we could set him up with Olivia? They'd look perfect together, his black hair with her golden, both equally pale. Besides, his obvious Slytherin pride would do some good for her cautiousness.

Harry's right - I'm horrible. I should let them get to know to each other on their own terms and not to try to lead the events in any way.

Well, they're all here now. It's time to go to inform Father about it.

* * *

This part of the chapter is from Malcolm Snape's POV.

* * *

Uncle Severus owes me a big time for talking me into this. What on Earth possessed me when I agreed? 

"You'll like Olivia," truly. How could I ever like a girl who doesn't want to be touched? And I do not mean it in any obscene way, like my dear eldest cousin-in-law would. Not touching with any erotic meaning, but as in, she won't even shake a person's hand. I mean, that's not normal! I'm not saying that I'm the most social of people -- rather the opposite -- but at least I can shake hands with somebody if it's expected from me.

Oh, well. She'll probably just kick me out at the same moment I step in. I surely won't complain.

My ears catch some sounds from the next room. Pushing the door ajar, I look in. Jonah is walking into the room -- what the hell is he doing here, anyway? No, don't tell me, I bet he's invited, too -- and sees somebody sitting on a chair in the room. As I saw the other person, I can hardly bite down the curse that wants to escape my lips. What's that git doing here? It's the Lupin girl, for crying out loud!

Well, I guess she might be here, being Remus Malfoy's niece and all, but still... All Hufflepuffs are incompetent, but Lupin is really the best -- or worst, either way -- in that area. She never seems to think before speaking. She probably doesn't. I mean, they call me nasty, yeah, but at least I'm nasty on purpose and not only because I don't pay another thought to what I'm saying!

Jonah, of course, doesn't seem to mind this at all. "Clarissa!" he exclaims, hugging his friend. "How did you ever manage to get here?"

The little girl smiles a bit. "Uncle Remus told Dad that if he didn't let me come to meet his daughter, he'd never ever talk to him again."

"Really?" Jonah asks, looking surprised. "I wouldn't believe that of him!"

"Well, he did," she laughs. "And how did you get here? I know perfectly well that your family likes Malfoys even less!"

"Easy," he grins. "I went to visit Uncle Sirius and then they helped me to sneak in here." So it really was him I saw in the garden in the Black Manor when I was coming here.

I decide this is the moment I should make my presence known. I cough politely and step into sight.

"Woah!" Lupin cries, jumping backwards. Then she calms down and looks angry. "Snape! Of course. You're always sneaking in shadows and scaring the hell out of people!"

"Interesting description, Miss... Lupin, am I right? I don't think we've been introduced." I raise an eyebrow. Jumpy little Hufflepuff. Not a miracle she didn't make it to even Gryffindor at least -- although I don't know what would be worse, to be a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff. Fortunately, I don't even have to know.

Jonah laughs. "Calm down, Clarissa," he advises. "And Malcolm, you know pretty well you have that shadow-lurking characteristic."

"How nice of you, Jonah," I snort. Always the cheery goofy Gryffindor. Couldn't he be serious at least once in his life? "Please, tell this jumpy little creature that I have no intentions of eating her. I'm not a vampire."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Jonah grins. He probably thinks he's funny. "Clarissa, this is Malcolm Snape, my cousin-in-law. He's not that bad if you know him, although I'm pretty sure even he doesn't know himself. And Malcolm, this is Clarissa Lupin, my friend. Forgive her, she's been raised to dislike Snapes."

"So have you," I point out. "I can recall that time in Uncle Severus and your uncle's wedding when your mother told you not to 'go near that terrible-looking boy, he'd probably eat you alive', and meaning me."

Jonah laughs. Oh, Circe, how I hate his laugh! "Merlin, Malcolm, we were about seven back then! And you looked like you'd want to eat someone, you can't deny that. And I still came to you, didn't I?"

"Very true." Really. He practically ran to me right after his mother had said that and asked if I could eat his little sister. "For some reason it didn't surprise me. I've never met a Black by blood who'd be capable of following rules or instructions."

"I'm not a Black. I'm a Barrow."

"Where's the difference?"

"As nice as it would be to listen to your little conversation more," somebody says behind us, "I believe somebody's waiting for you."

We all turn around and see Lucius Malfoy. He's leaning on the cane he always has with him, and he looks half amused, half irritated.

"Sure, Lord Malfoy," Jonah smiles, always the happy gentleman. Damn him and his Gryffindor behaviour.

"Say Lucius," he replies. "I don't want to hear any 'Lord Malfoys' from my daughter's guests." Raising his eyebrow, he added, "Of course, when you are not her guests any longer..."

I can't help but smirk. Married to a Gryffindor, maybe, but still a Slytherin by heart, this Lucius Malfoy.

We follow him through the corridors of the Malfoy Manor. I notice with slight interest that even though every place is indeed decorated with the traditional forest-green velvet, there's no silver to be seen anywhere. Well, considering that the Second Master of the Manor is a werewolf, maybe I shouldn't be so surprised, even though it is indeed shocking that a Slytherin, and a Malfoy on top of it, would let anything come to the way of his family pride.

At last we reach a door that seems to be the right one, considering that... _Lucius_ opens it. Inside we see a sitting room with two people inside. One of them is a brunet man with expensive-looking robes and a lot of silver in his hair, friendly amber eyes watching us intently. Remus Malfoy, no doubt. Just as obviously the girl sitting in an armchair next to him, her hair only a tad more reddish than the not greying parts of his hair and a snake pendant hanging on her necklace is Olivia Malfoy.

Lupin, of course, is immediately ready to be cheerful. "Hello, Uncle Remus," she greets happily. "And you are... Olivia, right?"

"Right," the other girl says and smiles nervously. _Really_ nervously. Oh, great. Another shy little princess to deal with. Of course I knew of the touching prohibition, but I almost thought they were joking. Apparently not. I hope she's as sufferable as Uncle Severus told me, or I'll be dead before this day is out.

"Olivia, this is my niece, Clarissa Lupin," the brunet Malfoy man tells her. "And this is Sirius's nephew, Jonah Barrow, and Severus's nephew, Malcolm Snape." He turns towards us. "This is Olivia Malfoy, our daughter." He smiles happily at the girl, who's still eyeing us a bit warily.

"Severus's nephew, eh?" she says then. I nearly jump in the air in surprise. She actually dares to speak! "Then you must be okay."

"Thank you," I reply her a bit dryly. "Many people say that I'm just like my uncle, and they don't mean it as a compliment."

"Why not? He's nice!" she exclaims, looking genuinely surprised. I think I could like her, after all. "How couldn't someone like him?"

"Well... Last autumn, one of the first year Gryffindors told me he was glad we wouldn't be taught by him, because all his relatives had told him that Severus Snape is the most annoying bastard on earth," Jonah says.

"If I'm not terribly mistaken, that guy you're talking about is a Weasley," I snort. "Maybe an adopted one, but still a Weasley. And they're all bastards themselves." I notice Lucius's glance, and say defensively, "What? They are!"

"Well, that's something I won't argue about," he replies. "At least most of them are really bastards. But there are better ones among them, you know."

"Not anyone under the name of Weasley," Jonah says, surprisingly joining on my side. It really is surprising. We're usually arguing about everything and anything.

"Well, Harry was going to ask Charlie Weasley to be his best man," mentions Remus, raising an eyebrow and smirking. Obviously you cannot be married to a Slytherin without it rubbing off.

"And as Draco was going to ask Malcolm here," Olivia then says, collecting her courage at last, "doesn't that mean that they're equal in bastardness?" Woah. A clever girl, she is. There's hardly anything I can say to that.

Obviously, Jonah can. "Well, as Malcolm is a bastard," he says, "that just works to prove my point."

"Excuse me," I say. "My parents were indeed married by the time I was born, and well before that, too. Considering that you were born only seven months after your parents' wedding, I think you're more a bastard than I."

"I see that you're getting on very well," Lucius says dryly. "Very well. We're leaving you here with each other -- although we will be watching you," he says warningly, looking especially at Jonah and me. Rather unsurprising, that.

Then both he and his werewolf husband leave. And we're left all by ourselves.

Splendid, indeed.

* * *

"Get away," Olivia says with a shaky voice, pointing at the door. "Get away from here, Barrow or Black or whatever you are, and fear for your life if you ever come back." 

Jonah looks stunned for a moment. Then, however, he gets back to his feet and hurries towards the door.

I watch the only person left in the room besides myself with great interest. The Malfoy heiress has her eyes closed, trembling slightly. She has her arms wrapped around herself, seemingly trying to collect herself.

"I think it's Calming Potion on the shelf," I mention after a moment. "Do you want me to get it for you?"

After a moment of silence, she replies, "Please do." As I then give her the phial, she immediately drinks its contents. Sitting down in a chair, she works hard to relax and let the potion do its work. Nailing her eyes then sharply at me, she says, "You'd better not try anything like that, or it's a window you fly against -- or, rather, through."

"Have no worry," I reply dryly. "Only boys for me, remember?" Sure, I'm bisexual, but at the moment I'm more leaning towards gay. And anyway, I do not want a repeat of _that_ blow directed at myself.

Stupid Jonah needed it, anyway. Blacks and instructions again. We'd been told not to even attempt to touch her -- and our famous ladies' man dares to pinch her bottom! Really, some people never know what is appropriate. Well, maybe Jonah has learned something about making daring moves at girls who don't want them. We got the most impressive example of a Ciddle's magical surging. My not-so-dear cousin-in-law flew right against the nearest wall with enough force to drop the candles from the chandelier above his head on the wall.

Now it's just the two of us. Clarissa Lupin had to leave just because she's so thick and annoying -- although I don't think Olivia'd say that as the reason. Our dear little Hufflepuff made a comment about Slytherins being nasty. When our hostess then reminded her about the fact that one of her parents and her "uncle" Severus are both Slytherins, Lupin just shrugged and said that they were just good-looking enough to have gotten married to a Gryffindor. When she then in all her Hufflepuff self-righteousness and the prejudices she'd learnt from home announced that Lucius had seduced Remus when he was still underaged and thus began his relationship with his now-husband as a phaedophile, the Young Lady of Malfoy told her to leave and not come back. As soon as Lupin had left, three vases in different corners of the sitting room blew up. Magical surging, I assume. It's a small miracle that Olivia controlled herself even as long as she did -- I would have blown up _Lupin_ if I was in her place.

Now she looks distracted. "I think I've met you before," she says. "Of course I've seen pictures of you at your home, but I do think I've seen you somewhere else, too."

"Well, when I was little, I and my Mother lived in the Muggle World for some time," I say cautiously. "She says she did it to stop me from becoming as narrow-minded as my Father is, but I think she was just trying to annoy him."

That seems to ring a bell to Olivia, as she suddely snaps her fingers. "Now I remember it," she says, smiling. "You were Malcolm Halliwell, right? We were on the same class once!"

Now, this makes me interested. "Yeah, I was known as Halliwell when I attended a Muggle school," I reply. "Or, rather, _schools_ -- I managed to go through three schools before Mother finally gave up hope of me getting along with those ignorant Muggle brats." But I don't seem to remember her from any of my classes. Not a miracle, though -- I've never been too good with faces, even less with names. But still...

Then, suddenly, I remember it. A shy girl, always hiding in the corner. She was just as much an outsider as I was, although for a very different reason. While I was nasty to everyone, she was too shy to talk to anyone. Her hair has become darker since we were just kids -- she was almost a blond back then -- and got a reddish tint to it, but her eyes are still the same -- pure silver. I have to wonder where she's got them from. "And you were Olivia Darkholm, right?"

She nods. "That was my name when I was little," she admits. "Well, actually that was my name until Father and Dad adopted me, which wasn't until last November." With a small smile, she adds, "You never listened to Miss Cardoniel, did you?"

"She always thought I'd done something wrong, even those rare times I hadn't," I reply, shrugging slightly. "Our dear teacher obviously hated me, so I just decided to hate her back."

"But you were always bullying others," she points out. Touche, that I was. But it's besides the point.

"I never bullied you, though," I remind. "And before you can ask, it was because I noticed you were also having magical surging. I didn't comment on it because Mother had told me that as there were no other Pureblood children in my class, I shouldn't say anything about anybody's possible magical surging as they'd be too young to understand being Muggleborn yet."

"I'm not a Muggleborn, though," she says, leaning back in her chair. "I'm a Ciddle. My father hated me for it -- or, my foster father, really. He's not in any way related to me."

"What do you mean?" I ask, my curiousity raising its head immediately. "And how do you know you're not related?"

For a moment she hesitates. Then she starts to quietly tell her tale.

"My foster father used to be a Death Eater. However, he displeased Voldemort, who drained his powers -- and cursed him so that every child of his would be a Squib." With a sigh, she continues, "So naturally, when my magical surging began, he realized that I wasn't his. He hated me for being somebody else's, and he hated my mother because he thought she'd cheated on him. She hadn't, however. Father and Severus just recently found out that my mother was one of the victims in a large Death Eater raid several years back. She wasn't killed, but she was raped." With a dry voice, she continues, "And I'm a direct consequence of that rape."

I whistle in fascination despite myself. "A nice beginning for a life," I mutter dryly. Really. And here I was thinking that my mother cursing my father whenever she hears his name is bad.

Olivia, however, merely shrugs. "I survived it," she says quietly. "And it's not like I was going back to either of them."

I don't know why she's being so open with me. Maybe she just trusts me -- why on Earth, I can't understand for my life. Perhaps it's because I resemble Uncle Severus, or even because we were classmates once. Probably I'd say that she's just overdosed with the Calming Potion, however. Yeah, that's it. It's not like my mother even trusted me completely -- she knows me too well to do that.

Deciding that it's time to move to some less depressing matters, I ask, "By the way, do you have your own laboratory? If so, could I maybe see it?"

In an instant her eyes light up. Yes, I definitely do like her, the little I ever like anyone. "Of course I have a laboratory," she replies. "Come on, let's have a look at it!"

* * *

Remus and Lucius watched attentively through the mirror as Olivia voluntarily reached out a hand for the dark-haired teenboy. When the boy grasped on the hand, causing their daughter not to get frightened but instead to smile even more, they, too, both broke into a wide smile.

* * *

"Malcolm?" asks a quiet voice from the doorway. I raise my eyes from the preparations I'm doing to some ingredients. It's Sunday, the second day I spend in the Malfoy Manor -- Jonah and Lupin left yesterday, almost as soon as Olivia had kicked them out of the room. Well, I can't blame her, really. Lupin was being annoying -- although I'd consider her annoying no matter what -- and what Jonah did was just unforgivable. 

"Yes, Lucius?" I ask back, raising an eyebrow. Olivia, too, stops her own work and turns to look at the older one of her parents.

"As you probably know, Olivia's going to give her testimony tomorrow," the Lord of Malfoy says, walking in to the laboratory. As I nod, he continues, "Would you care to stay for a few days, to support her? I've already firecalled Headmaster Dumbledore, and if you accept, he doesn't have any problem with you staying here for a bit longer, either."

For a moment I hesitate. Then I look into Olivia's shining eyes, and again at the tall, blond man. I know what answer they both expect from me -- they, and the three ghosts that are currently peering through the walls. Olivia's ghost friend Laura, Lucius's great-great-grandfather, and some woman I don't recognize all look very interested.

"Yes," I hear myself saying far before I've ever thought the matter through. "Yes, I'll still stay for a couple of days."

* * *

"Your full name, age, and current working position?" Severus asked, with a hint of steel as well as amusement in his voice. 

"Olivia Amber Malfoy, fifteen, a Potions Mistress in training."

"Who are your current guardians?"

"Lucius and Remus Malfoy."

"Do you have any problem with the fact that one of your guardians is a werewolf?" Mr. Lyncay asked then.

"No, of course not," Olivia said. "With the Wolfsbane Potion he is completely harmless."

"You put a lot of trust in a simple potion," Weasley commented, raising his eyebrow.

"At first, it isn't 'simple' at all," she replied dryly. "In fact, the Wolfsbane Potion is considered one of the most complex potions ever -- why, I've no idea. And second, I'm going to be a Potions Mistress. That wouldn't amount to much if I didn't trust my potions, now would it?"

"Indeed," snorted Severus dryly. "Now. Do you trust your guardians?"

"I could safely trust my life into their hands."

"Have either of them ever threatened you?"

"No," came the short and simple answer. Neither of them had, after all.

Weasley, however, was more cunning than that. "And have you ever felt threatened by either of them?" he asked slyly.

Olivia bit her bottom lip. "Yes, I have," she admitted quietly.

It seemed to take all strength Weasley had not to shout out in triumph. "Why is that?" he asked.

Olivia's eyes flashed with a light that seemed to be coming from somewhere inside her. "Because I'd never known of a family life where no one gets beaten."

"And was there a reason to feel threatened?" asked Severus, surprisingly calm, considering the situation.

"No, there wasn't. Neither of them have ever raised a finger to hurt me."

"Do you have any friends outside your immediate... _family_?" asked Weasley then.

"Yes, I have," Olivia replied calmly. Pointing over her shoulder, she added, "Malcolm Snape is my friend."

"And for how long have you known each other?" asked Mr. Lyncay, obviously paying attention to the fact that the darkhaired teen hadn't been seen in the courtroom ever before.

However, Olivia had a response ready to this, too. "We met for the first time on the first day we went to school," she replied calmly. "We were classmates in the Muggle school I attended to when I was little."

Now even Severus's eyes widened. He seemed to have hard time not laughing. The others, however, looked surprised and shocked at the same time. This certainly wasn't what they expected.

"So you've been friends all your life?" asked Robert, who was the first one to get over his shock as well as determined to get the questioning back to them.

"Sadly, no," Olivia replied, shaking her head. "We lost contact when Malcolm was transferred to another school. I only found him again just recently, thanks to Father, Dad, and Severus."

"And with Severus you're referring to...?" asked Severus levelly.

"Severus Black," Olivia finished. "He's Father's best friend, and married to Dad's best friend, Sirius Black."

"Do you have any other ties to him?"

"Yes, I have. He's tutoring me with Potions, as well as helping me to understand my gift in Seeing," the girl replied.

"And do you like him?" Severus asked then. He seemed to be greatly enjoying himself.

"Of course," Olivia replied lightly. "Do you honestly think Dad and Father would let anybody I don't like tutor me in an almost daily basis?"

"Has he taught you to brew the Wolfsbane Potion?" asked Severus with a completely straight face -- something only he could manage in this situation.

"No, he hasn't," Olivia answered truthfully. "Father taught that to me."

"What's the most complex potion he has taught you, then?" Weasley asked, more for the sake of getting the questioning to his own hands than to make the Malfoys look bad.

"Well, that must be the Patronus Potion," she replied after a moment of thinking.

"And what's your Patronus?" Mr. Lyncay asked curiously, probably not even meaning anything with it.

Olivia swallowed, her eyes lowered to the ground. Then she looked up to the lawyers and said, with a quiet but clear voice, "My Patronus is the Dark Mark."

For a moment everybody, from the jury to the judge, just stared at her, wide-eyed.

Then, Weasley caught up to action. "Your honour," he said to the judge, his voice a bit shaken but still firm, "I demand taking the child away from Mr. and Mr. Malfoy's care until this trial is over due to firm suspicions that they might be training the child in Dark Arts."

The judge brought a hand up to her temple, as if in attempt to clear her thoughts. Then she said, very slowly, "Your demand is well reasoned, Mr. Weasley. Beginning this moment, Olivia Malfoy shall not spend any amount of time in either Remus or Lucius Malfoy's presence outside this courtroom until the trial is over."

Remus bit his bottom lip, squeezing tightly Lucius's hand. The blond man maintained a calm facade, but his hands were slightly trembling. Olivia shot them an apologetical look, her wide grey eyes saddened.

"Have either of your guardians ever taught you or told you to do something they've told you not to reveal to the other, or to somebody outside your family?" Mr. Lyncay asked then, eyeing her sharply.

"Yes," admitted Olivia quietly. "Father has."

"And what has he taught to you, then?" questioned Weasley. He sounded almost triumphant.

"He told me to use a book that instructed me to cause explosions in sake of learning. I couldn't tell this to Dad, because he has bad experiences about explosions and could have overreacted."

"So your... eh... _father_ purposefully put you into a potentially dangerous position?" Weasley asked slyly.

"No!" she exclaimed, shocked. "Absolutely not. He placed strong shielding charms on all my laboratory robes to keep me from being harmed."

"And were those charms strong enough to keep you safe in case an explosion occured?" continued Mister Lyncay.

"Yes!" exclaimed Olivia in response. Then she managed to summon tears into her eyes. "I don't know why you can't just believe me," she whispered, tears glinting in her eyes. "They'd never hurt me, neither of them would ever do something that might harm me. They're basically the only parents I've ever had -- and the only ones I want to have!"

"Miss Malfoy," Robert said, trying to get a calming tone to his voice, "have either of your guardians ever taught or told you anything that you might have considered wrong or even suspicious?"

"No," replied Olivia immediately, trying to wipe away the tears that still continued to fall. "I've never had to question anything they've told me."

"Have either of them ever told you that Muggles are worth less than Wizards?" Severus asked, well knowing the answer already. "Or that Muggles or Muggleborns should be killed or otherwise destroyed, or at least controlled?"

"Of course not. Rather to the opposite; they're always telling me that all people should be considered equal."

"Have they ever taught you anything that could be used to harm people?"

"No! They'd never teach me anything like that!" Tears were flowing down her cheeks with seemingly no intentions to stop.

But the questioning had to go on.

* * *

Lucius was a bit restless when he returned home. He had a feeling that he shouldn't have left at the first point, but he'd just had to be alone for a while. So, after taking Remus to the Manor and making sure he couldn't hurt himself, he'd headed to the Diagon Alley. There he'd gone to the Magical Menagerie once again and, using Remus's Soul Potion -- the only potion the werewolf had brewed all by himself after they'd got married -- as a "bait", found a pet for his husband. He hoped that it would calm Remus down a bit. 

As he glanced around the sitting room, not seeing a hint of the werewolf, he forced himself to calm down. '_He's fine_,' he thought to himself. '_It isn't like he could have hurt himself_.'

And that was true, he'd personally seen to that. Unknown by Remus, he'd used his ring to seal both the mirrors and doors in the whole Manor. The only two places Remus could get to were their bedroom, the sitting room, and Olivia's room. Not even a single balcony was within his reach, and none of the windows would open or even break -- he had heard from Sirius that Remus had once tried to kill himself by jumping from a window on the fifth floor, only being saved by his incredible werewolf abilities. Just as well none of the mirrors in the Manor could be broken, and not even a fire could be lit before he was present. Remus couldn't do anything about it. He might be the Second Master of the Manor, but Lucius was the Master, and nobody could come over his control over the Manor's own inner magic.

Therefore, he managed somehow to stay calm as he walked to the nearest mirror, the overeager saroth jumping up and down on his shoulder, waiting to get to his true master. With light sky blue mane and tail and a fur of so dark blue that it was almost black, he seemed to be a negative image of Olivia's Ssaratha.

"Where is the Second Master of the Manor?" demanded Lucius from the mirror.

"He is in the Young Lady's bedroom," replied the familiar cool female voice. Just what he'd expected, then. It was so like Remus to go to mourn their -- temporary, he had to keep telling himself -- loss in Olivia's bedroom, where he could feel at least a little bit nearer to her.

"Take me there." And after that command, Lucius stepped through the mirror, expecting to see his husband on the other side.

He stared in horror at the sight in front of him. Remus indeed was there. However, the werewolf lay on the floor, something shining around his neck. A quick glance at the open jewellery box told him that it was one of Olivia's silver necklaces. Seemingly Remus had attached it to one of her earrings and then pulled it partly through the ring, creating kind of a hanging rope made of silver. One of his gloved hands -- otherwise, he couldn't have handled the jewellery -- was still holding the necklace, having pulled it tightly around his neck.

Lucius struggled agains tears. "Remus," he said quietly. "Oh, Salazar, Remus..." Hastening to get to his husband's side as well as he could, ignoring the pain the half-running caused to his leg, he kneeled down next to the werewolf. A simple grip and a quick yank broke the thin necklace. He threw the remains of it, as well as the earring, away in disgust.

Desperation fought determination in his eyes as he began to quickly cast scans over his unconscious husband. He had to know whether the damage could be fixed. It wasn't like Remus could have really hung himself with the thin chain, no; the thing Lucius feared most was that the silver could have damaged the werewolf's throat and the veins on his neck so that he'd be unable to breathe, or his brain couldn't get enough blood.

To his great relief he noted that no permanent damage had been done to his beloved husband. Now whispering the strongest healing charms he could think of, he held the werewolf's body tightly against his chest. Then he whispered, "_Enervate_."

After a moment, Remus drew a deep breath, and then his eyelids fluttered open. "Lu-Lucius?" he asked quietly. "I -- I am sorry -- I'm so fucking sorry --"

"Shh, Remus," murmured Lucius, fighting against tears. "Don't say anything. You'll be fine, and Olivia will be fine, and _we_ will be fine. She will come back."

"We'll lose her, Lucius," Remus whispered raspily. "She's never coming back, we'll lose her, and, Lucius, I just can't take this anymore... We've lost all our children, we always lose them... Have I done something wrong? Is it because of me that we always have to lose them? Is it because I'm a werewolf, is my bad luck infectuous?" Then, he broke into tears, sobbing hoarsely as he cried.

Lucius held his husband tightly against himself, not saying a word.

* * *

Olivia ran through the halls of the Snape Manor, not knowing where she was going to. She'd taken her Blocking Potion, sure -- Severus would have killed her otherwise -- but she didn't want to see anybody at the moment. She couldn't. 

They'd taken her away again. She had known what her answer would lead to, but she had been unable to lie, the spells had been binding her too tightly. And now they thought that she'd been taught Dark Arts -- which was the one thing her guardians, no, _parents_ would never do -- and they'd taken her away again.

What could she do? What _had_ she done, to deserve this? She'd been happy with her two fathers, happier than she could ever remember being, and now they were seemingly determined to make her unhappy again, Weasley and his companions.

Throwing open a door to yet another room, she stormed inside, looking for a place to hide. However, as soon as she entered the room, a weird feeling came over her.

'_This place is evil_,' she thought. '_Bad things have happened here... Very bad things_...'

Then her surroundings seemed to fade away, and before she could even wonder why the Blocking Potion hadn't worked, she was inside a memory.

* * *

There were two people in front of her in the room. One of them was a teenager boy, looking much like Malcolm -- in fact, he was almost a carbon copy of the young Slytherin, his hair was just shorter. And knowing that this couldn't be Malcolm, he had to be Severus when he'd been younger. The same black eyes, black hair, harsh features and the nose -- there was no mistaking him. 

The other person was a man, maybe a couple of years older than Severus was in her present time -- and almost just like him in appearance. He, too, had the pale skin, piercing onyx eyes, jet-black hair and familiar facial features. It was more than obvious that this was Severus's father. She no more doubted what they said about Snape males all looking just the same way, with the exception of Draco -- well, Narcissa probably wasn't even a Snape, at least she suspected something with the woman looking so drastically different from her siblings -- and she no longer wondered what Malcolm would look like when he got older, either.

"I will not become a Death Eater," said the young Severus stubbornly, bravely facing his father. Bravely, for the elder Snape was truly a frightening sight.

"Oh, yes, you will," the man said harshly. "You have only one more chance, boy. For the last time: Will you become a Death Eater?"

"No." The answer was cool and steady, although the teen's voice wavered a bit.

"Then I suppose I'll just have to force you into it." And with that, he pointed his wand at his son. "_Stupefy_." And, in front of Olivia's horrified eyes, he started to tear the boy's robes off.

Olivia felt sickened. Not only because of what she saw, but much more because she knew what this would lead to. She tried to tear her eyes away from the sight, but it did no good. She couldn't turn away, she couldn't look at anything else. Even closing her eyes wouldn't help; she wasn't really seeing this by her eyes but by her mind. And her mind's eyes she couldn't close, couldn't shut her Inner Eye.

At last, Severus's father finished his task. After binding the now naked teen's wrists and ankles to the floor with various spells, he casted one last charm. "_Enervate_."

Severus instantly came to, his onyx eyes widening with fear as he realized what was going to happen. "No," he said quietly. "No, Father... Don't do this."

"You had your chance, boy," the man said rashly, kneeling down in front of him. He'd shed his own robes some time before, now only clad in a shirt and trousers. "Now you're going to regret your choice." With these words, he unzipped his trousers, then crouched even further.

A second later, Severus screamed. Loudly.

And Olivia still couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight.

* * *

"What happened, Severus?" asked Lilian quietly as Severus Apparated to the place. 

"It went all wrong," Severus said, sighing a bit. "After they heard of Olivia's Patronus, the question took one wrong turn after another. We couldn't get it back to our hands, and at last the questioning had to be interrupted as she was crying too much to answer to anything." Glancing around himself, he added, "Where is she, anyway? I told Malcolm to take her here as I had to stay for still some time."

"Yeah, they Flooed here some time ago," the witch replied. "Olivia rushed off the same second. I tried to ask Malcolm what happened, but he just muttered something and ran off -- searching for her, no doubt."

"Fuck," muttered Severus under his breath. "This place is may not be even half as big as the Malfoy Manor, but with some bad luck we won't see either of them for hours without a full search party. If they keep moving, it'll probably take even more time."

However, just then one of the mentioned teens chose the moment to be fitting to throw the door open and run inside. "Uncle Severus," said Malcolm hurriedly. "Olivia's in one of the sitting rooms, but she's not normal. She's just standing there, staring in front of her, looking very pale. I tried to talk to her, but she didn't respond."

Now, Severus frowned deeply. "She should know better than forget her Blocking Potion," he muttered. "What room she was in?"

"It's the one right next to the west wing's stairway to the second floor. You can see the roses in the garden from there," replied the teen.

In an instant, the elder of the two wizards went deathly pale. "Merlin," whispered Severus. "Malcolm, now listen to me, and carefully. I cannot enter that room, or go even near to it -- even with the Blocking Potion, the memories there are far too strong for me to avoid. Therefore, you have to go there, take Olivia and carry her here. Don't try to wake her from the trance, it'll be no use. Just bring her out of there as soon as possible."

The boy gave him a weird glance, but left immediately to do as he'd been told. Severus sighed deep, running a hand over his eyes. This was exactly what he had been fearing all this time.

"What is it, Severus?" asked Lilian confusedly. "What shocked you so much?"

"You don't want to know," murmured Severus quietly. "Believe me, you don't really want to know."

"Oh, yes, I do," she said firmly. "Answer me now, baby brother. What is it that Olivia's Seeing?"

"Have you ever wondered just why I became a Death Eater in the first place?" he asked seriously. As she nodded mutely, he continued, "Well, our Daddy dearest forced me to it. And before you can ask how, well..." Sighing even deeper than before, he said quietly, "He raped me. He raped me, and said that he would tell all his Death Eater friends do it if I didn't take the Dark Mark. I had no choice, Lilian. I couldn't have born it again."

"Oh, Severus." Tiny tears glimmering in the corners of her eyes, she wrapped her arms around her younger brother. "If I had known, I would have killed the bastard."

"I don't doubt that," he said, swallowing a bit. "Which is precisely why I didn't tell you or Narcissa. I needed you to be near to support me, not rotting away in Azkaban."

"And what did Sirius say?" she asked quietly. "I can't imagine him taking it too well."

"Believe me, he didn't," the wizard replied dryly. "At first he was mad at me for taking the Mark. When I then managed to explain it all to him -- I had to use a bodybind on him to keep him from storming off -- he vowed to kill the bastard. I managed to talk him out of it, but most time it took from me to convince him of the fact that even though I had been raped, I knew he wouldn't hurt me and thus didn't mind bottoming."

Lilian snorted. "Men," she muttered. "Always only thinking about sex." At last releasing her brother from her embrace, she said then, "Well... Shall we go to see where my dear son is with our guest?"

* * *

They soon found them. Malcolm was half carrying, half leading Olivia towards the sitting room where they'd just been, looking very worried -- the expression just as rare on his face as it was on Severus's. The girl still didn't seem to have completely broken out of the trance, but she was at least walking on her own, which meant that she wasn't completely inside the vision anymore. As soon as her eyes met Severus, however, she rushed towards him, almost falling down on the way. 

By the time she reached the Potions Master, Olivia wept comfortlessly despite the fact that he clumsily drew her to his arms, trying to soothe her. At last she'd clamed down enough to say, "I -- I Saw your father --"

"I know what you Saw, Olivia," murmured Severus, his voice thick with tears he would never shed. "It wasn't a pretty thing, what my father did to me. Not a pretty thing at all."

"What happened?" asked Malcolm, frowning slightly as he watched the Ciddle and the Potions Master. All he understood was that this had something to do with Seeing, and there his knowledge ended.

Lilian sighed. "Let's go somewhere where we can all sit down," she said, "and then we'll explain."

Some time later Olivia was rather calm -- at least calmer than before. Her cheeks were still wet with tears, but at least she wasn't crying anymore.

"I probably should get some of my things from the Manor," she said quietly. "Clothes, at least -- and Ssaratha."

Severus nodded slowly. "Now, you must not wear your Malfoy clothes," he said seriously. "Green and silver, even if they are the Malfoy family colours, are also the colours of the Slytherin House, as well as a snake is a symbol for them both. And Slytherin is, however unjustifiedly, often associated with Dark Arts. In fact, it'd be good if you managed to look like a Muggle. You can manage that, can't you?"

"Considering that I lived fourteen years as a Muggle, I think I could."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Malcolm said, trying to lighten the mood. All this crying was making him uneasy -- besides, both his mother and Severus would have skinned him alive if he'd said anything truly nasty. "From what I remember, your taste for clothes was horrible even back then."

"We were just kids, Malcolm, for the love of Rowena. My mother picked the clothes for me!"

"Keep telling that to yourself, and one day you might even believe it," the boy said, teasing her. Then he added more seriously, "I could go to get your things, if you want. But you must tell me what you need."

"Ask the house-elves," Olivia said, managing a small smile. "Thoward should know at least, just ask for anything I had the last time I was there... But don't let them pick any robes in the Malfoy colours or with snake decorations, you heard your uncle. Oh, and be sure to bring Ssaratha, too," she added.

"Will happen." And with that, he walked to the fireplace and Flooed away.

* * *

Sirius blinked as he curved his motorbike in the air. He did have his safety helmet on, Severus would have killed him otherwise, but he had a firm suspicion that he'd get the lecture of his life even this way. However, Sirius did not care. He needed to let his thoughts fly for a moment. 

It was hard. It was really hard. Just when they'd thought that everything was starting to go well, this had happened. Sure, they could prove that the Malfoys hadn't taught Olivia any Dark Arts -- how could they have? She couldn't even use a wand properly -- but he was worried about how this would affect them, especially Remus. It wasn't that long from the last full moon, and there was no telling what Remus would do.

The moon was shining brightly from the clear night sky, lighting his way. It was easy to navigate -- ironic or not, he'd always been able to tell his direction from the stars. The air was cold and brisk, but not too cold. In fact, the wind whipping him was almost exactly the pleasant, cool kind of air he liked most.

Suddenly, he saw a dark figure in front of him. He managed to catch a glimbse of the stranger, and almost shouted out aloud in surprise.

Then there was a blinding flash of light, and then, he knew no more.

* * *

"'_I'm going for a motorbike ride. Don't worry. - Sirius._' Truly, what was he thinking? How could I _not_ worry?" Severus muttered to himself. He'd just come home from the Snape Manor -- where Olivia was now pretty calm, although still very upset and sad, and Malcolm was not being himself at all -- just to find a note from his husband. Relying on his internal clock, he knew that it was late already. Sirius should have returned already. 

Frowning a bit, Severus reached his hand inside his robe. Pulling out the tiny bottle he always had in a chain under his robes, he looked into the potion, at the same time feeling the bottle with his hands. Sirius's face was reflected clearly in the Soul Potion, even though he looked a bit distracted. The bottle also felt pleasantly warm. There was no reason to --

Just then, he shivered. The bottle had suddenly gone terribly cold. It then quickly gained back its warmth, but it was then cooling fastly. Horrible images filling his mind, Severus reached for his wand.

Forcing himself to calm down so he wouldn't get splinched, Severus grasped the bottle of his husband's Soul Potion even tighter into his hand. Concentrating on it and the faint magical trace of Sirius it still had, he Disapparated to search for his beloved.

When he got to the place, he smelt something burning. Looking to the direction the smell was coming from, he saw Sirius's precious motorbike lying on the ground, in flames. '_Well, it was about time_,' was his first thought.

His next second, however, he realized that he should search for Sirius, not celebrate the damned motorbike's fate. A quick glance told him that the Animagus was not on his motorbike -- a thought that both relieved him because of the flames and agonized him, because that meant that Sirius had flown somewhere.

Then his eyes caught Sirius lying on the ground some way from his damaged vehicle. Severus gasped in shock. "Sirius! For Merlin's sake, no..." He ran to the unmoving form, feeling hot tears stinging in his eyes.

His legs shaking, Severus knelt down next to his husband. Shaky fingers searched for a pulse. Soon, he found it, but it was uneven and weak, so weak...

This terribly reminded of the one time before, as he'd found Sirius just the same way.

Trying to gain back his senses, he hurriedly dragged Sirius further away from the motorbike, knowing that it might explode at any moment. It took him some effort, considering that Sirius was both taller and heavier than he was and that he'd never been very strong, but desperation gave him strength. Just as he'd got them both behind a large rock nearby, the flames found the motorbike's gas tank, causing a loud explosion. Crouching behind the rock, Severus shivered slightly.

At last he gained back enough of his senses to do something useful. Drawing the needed phial from the bag on his hips, he threw a Flame-Deadening Potion at the rapidly growing fire. When it was under control, he drew his wand again. Sending out the wizarding version of an emergency call, a spell that would help both Aurors and mediwizards locate them, he then sat down next to his injured husband.

"You fool," he muttered, fighting against tears. "You damned bloody Gryffindor fool. You'll have to walk over my dead body if you ever want to drive a blasted motorbike again!"

However, watching the usually so cheerful Gryffindor just lying there without a sign of life in his body, he couldn't help but wonder whether Sirius would even walk ever again.

Or if he could breathe.

* * *

Next chapter: Sirius Memories 

While waiting for a message of Sirius's life or death, Severus goes over his memories of his husband.


	22. Sirius Memories

Disclaimer: Nuhuh, not mine.

A/N: This is (finally!) the betaed version of this chapter. My thousand thanks to **Airiel** for that!This chapter is apresent to my crew on **SS Malevolence**, the best ship ever sailed on seas of the HP fandom! It is also a part of my English project -- Finland and Finns in Harry Potter Fanfiction.

Oh, and as for why Sirius and Severus just had to make their work trip to Finland, well, I needed them away for some time, and quite frankly, I know nothing of any other country but Finland, as I live there. Plus, it fits my project work for the English class. And no, the Finnish wizard family in this chap is not necessarily your typical Finnish family, just one I created for the purpose of the fic. Although this chapter is really not essential to the plot...

* * *

..Our little one. . 

Chapter Twenty-Two

Sirius Memories

This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

This chapter is partly flashbacks.

Speech is Finnish.

* * *

Severus stared quietly at the floor of the all-too-familiar room in the St. Mungo's. This had been the very place where he'd spent most of the four weeks during which Sirius had been in coma two years back. He could only hope that it wouldn't be like that this time, too.

He remembered all too well the last time he'd been sitting there, waiting for news about his husband. In fact, he remembered quite a few times of sitting there from that period of time.

* * *

2nd of March, 2002

* * *

"I'm sorry, Mister Black," the mediwitch said, and she looked genuinely sorry for him. "We cannot tell for sure whether your husband will survive."

As Severus heard these words, he felt like his world had just shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. And suddenly he realized just what Remus had felt during the weeks Lucius had been on the verge of death. He'd thought that he'd understood back then, Lucius was his best friend after all, but it hadn't been half as bad as this fear for his beloved.

It hadn't felt like his heart was just being torn apart.

* * *

4th of March, 2002

* * *

"We're doing our best, Mister Black," the mediwizard assured him. "However, there's little we can do right now. His physical injureis are no more a threat to him. We only have to wait until he wakes up."

"And when will that happen?" asked Severus snappishly. He didn't really have a reason to be snappish, the poor man was only doing his job, but the few last days had been really hard on him. He was at the end of his nerves now, and anybody nearby was just a target to take his irritation and hidden fear out on.

"We don't know," replied the other wizard with an apologetical expression. "It can happen any time now, really. Tomorrow, or next week, maybe. Maybe next month." Then, with a very quiet tone, he added, "Maybe not ever."

However, Severus did not believe that. He could not believe that, because it was a lie. Sirius lived, and he would live. He'd wake up from that fucking coma at any moment now, jump up, laugh, and ask for that blasted motorbike. And then Severus could yell at him and scold him for making him so worried, and then they'd both go home, and everything would be fine again.

A little voice in the back of his mind was yelling at him, telling him that it would not be so. He chose to ignore it, however. Quite calmly he reached for the bag on his hip, drawing out a phial of the Blocking Potion. Without another thought, he downed the potion. It worked just as well to the occasional waves of Divination or little presentiments that taunted him from time to time than to actual visions. And he certainly did not need that kind of disencouraging messages right now.

* * *

29th of March, 2002

* * *

"Mister Black?" the mediwitch asked hesitantly. "Mister Black, you should come here and soon."

"What now?" he asked warily, his gaze instantly snapping up from his hands, where it'd rested for the last two hours or so. "Has something happened to my husband?"

"Yes," she replied. However, instead of looking worried, she suddenly broke into a wide smile. "I'm happy to tell that he's finally woken up."

She'd barely finished her sentence when Severus was rushed passed her.

* * *

If there was one thing about Sirius that always made Severus wonder, it was his passion for language and wordplay. No matter where they went abroad, he always managed to get to talk with some local wizard, and learn the most amusing and interesting twists of the current language. Their lengthy stay in Finland had been a heaven to him, with many people around to teach him the complicated language.

* * *

10th of December, 2003

* * *

"Did you know that the longest non-compound word in existence is Finnish?"

"No, I didn't know that," Severus replied, shaking his head. He didn't raise his eyes from the document he was studying. "How long is it, then?"

"103 letters."

Now, Severus's eyes were raised. "You're not serious."

"Yes, I am, my name is indeed Sirius," his husband said with an irritating grin. "Like you should know very well by now, being my husband. Anyway, that amazing word is, in all its lengthy shine and glory, 'kumarreksituteskenteleentuvaisehkollaismaisekkuudellisenneskenteluttelemattomammuuksissansakkaankopahan.'"

Whistling, Severus nodded his head. "That's quite impressive," he had to admit. "But what on earth does it mean?"

"Nobody knows for sure," Sirius said, grinning. "The inventor of it died a long time ago. The witch who taught it to me, however, thinks that it's about 'Whether it would maybe still not be even in his ways not to present his habits of being pretending to be like those who seem to have people going bowing around them even though they don't, wouldn't it?'" With a shrug, he added, "She's not even halfly sure that it's correct, however, but she's working on it all the time."

After shaking his head disbelievingly, Severus snapped his eyes again at his husband. "I think you said that it's not a compound word?"

"Well, it's not! There's only one word as a base, 'kumartaa,' which means, 'to bow.' All those other bits are just little additions and postpositions that are not independent words in Finnish."

Severus shook his head again. He had a feeling that Sirius was going to greatly enjoy his time in the near future.

Just as well he had a feeling that he personally would not.

* * *

"These Muggles are insane," laughed Sirius, eyeing some parchment in front of him.

"Hmm?" replied Severus non-chalantly. "What is it now?"

"Their nursery songs," the Gryffindor said with a chuckle. "I got one of those translated, from word to word. And - well, look at it!"

Severus took the offered parchment, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling. As he read the text, however, his eyes went very wide.

"_It is raining, dropping wet,_

_Dick-o-dick-o-ding,_

_Dick-o-dick-o-ding._

_Whole little Winnie the Pooh_

_Is so wet now, oh-oh-ooh,_

_Whole little Winnie the Pooh_

_Is so wet now, ooh."_

The Potions Master raised his eyes at his husband. "You must be kidding," he said faintly. "They - they truly sing these to _children_?"

Sirius nodded, grinning. "Of course, those kids don't understand the other meanings," he said then with a smirk. "...Hopefully, that is."

Severus rolled his eyes again, smacking Sirius on the arm. "Not everyone is as perverted as you," he huffed.

"And that's why you love me," replied Sirius instantly, giving him the puppy eyes.

"Oh, shut up." And then, to make sure he was obeyed, Severus shut his mouth with his own.

* * *

Yes, two-minded meanings had always been Sirius's speciality. He'd been able to find obscene side-meanings from even the most innocent sentences and situations. There was absolutely nothing that could have avoided his sharp ears and twisted imagination. Nothing, not even the most innocent games of children.

* * *

7th of August, 2002

* * *

"A cock, a chicken, or a chick?"

Everyone was staring at Remus the moment the words left his mouth. "Erm... excuse me?" asked Sirius, looking more amused than he had any right to be.

"I didn't mean it _that_ way," Remus replied frustratedly. "I just remembered a game I played with Romulus when we were little." He took a hay between his fingers. "See, it goes this way: One takes a hold of a hay that has seeds on it and asks the question of the others. They pick one of the options. Then the one holding the hay wipes it empty, this way -" he tugged his hand upward so all hayseed was stuck between his fingertips - "and looks at the shape of the seedball. If it's round, it's a chicken, if there's one or more longer 'tails' sticking up, it's a cock, and if it's just a little ball, meaning that some of the seed have been left to the hay, it's a chick. All the time speaking only about birds, of course. And if your pick is what comes out, well, you win."

"So, let me get this right," Sirius went on. "At first, you use your hand to take the seed off the stick, and then you can see from the balls whether the object of your attention is a cock, a chicken, or a chick?"

Severus groaned aloud and smacked Sirius's head. "Don't you ever think about anything else?" he hissed furiously.

"It's hard to think about anything else with you so near," replied the Animagus, flashing him a bright grin.

"Shut up," the Potions Master grumbled. "That's not going to save your hide."

"I know that," Sirius said, still grinning broadly, "but the sight of you blushing is worth it."

Severus was just about to kill his husband very slowly and painfully as Remus's impatient voice broke through their quarrel. "Well, what is it? A cock, a chicken, or a chick?"

"A cock, of course," Sirius laughed, wrapping his arms around Severus's shoulders. "That's always the best choice, isn't it, Sev?"

Shaking the arms away angrily, Severus grumbled, "A chicken." He deliberately ignored Sirius's annoyed expression.

"It seems that I'm left a chick," Lucius said, smirking and quirking an eyebrow.

"And you're _so_ glad about that, I'm sure," said Remus dryly. He janked his hand upwards, tearing the tiny seeds from the hay. "There! It's a chick!" He showed them the tiny ball in his fingers.

"Are you sure it's not a cock?" teased Sirius. "You know, it's you in question, after all."

"I can assure you," Lucius said, raising an elegant eyebrow, "suggesting that the tiny thing we're seeing had anything to do with the size of Remus's member is a grave insult."

This, of course, brought up an annoyed groan from Remus, a smirk from Severus, and a fit of uncontrollable laughter from Sirius. Lucius himself just smirked, then went over to embrace his husband. His cane made it a bit awkward, but he still managed a hug.

"I'm sorry for embarrassing you," the blond mumbled into the werewolf's hair.

After a brief moment of silence, Remus replied, "Doesn't matter." Then he turned to kiss Lucius, who of course didn't protest.

"When's the last time you've apologized for embarrassing me?" asked Severus snappishly from his husband. "It must have been forever. Oh, forgive me, it _has_ been forever - you've never done that!"

"I'm not Lucius," replied Sirius calmly. "And it's kind of a good thing, anyway. Didn't you say once that you don't like blonds?"

With an irritated huff, Severus just rolled his eyes, finding it unnecessary to answer.

* * *

One of Sirius's best features was his ability to get well along with people, no matter what kind of people they were. Wherever they went, Sirius always could find somebody to talk to. Severus was the first to admit that he himself was about as hard to get along with as anybody could be - he would not go as far as to call himself a "snarky bastard", but he had to grudgingly admit that to most people he was just that - but his husband had always been great with people. Especially good with children, although their later years together he'd always seemed a bit sad and pensive around them, even though he tried to mask it with fake cheerfulness, and usually succeeded rather well. Before Severus hadn't understood the reason, but now, having his memories back to him, he understood better than ever.

* * *

23rd of December, 2003

* * *

"Welcome, dear guests," said a motherly-looking woman who resembled much Molly Weasley. "It's truly nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you two." She came forward and hugged them both. Yes, she was definitely like Molly Weasley.

"We don't want to intrude your home," Severus said politely as he'd managed to pry himself out of her arms, "but your husband -"

"Ah, yes," the woman smiled broadly. "I told him to invite you for the holidays. My name is Elisa, it's truly wonderful to meet you. We rarely have wizarding guests from other countries."

"Nice to meet you, too," Sirius said, flashing his most charming smile, then wrapped one of his arms on Severus's shoulders. The gesture seemed careless, but the possessive tone couldn't go unnoticed. "But you really shouldn't have invited us, we could have just as well stayed in the quarters your Ministry provided us."

"Nonsense," she huffed. "You two alone through the whole Christmas? There's no way I could allow that to happen, not when there's enough room for you in our home. I take it that you only need one room? Wait a minute and I'll call Mika to show you to the guest room we've prepared for you."

Severus shot a desperate glance towards his husband, who just grinned back. Sirius was clearly enjoying this, and, well, Severus didn't want to steal him that joy. He supposed he could stand their hostess's attentions over the holidays. He'd wanted to spend this time in peace with Sirius, but the happy look on the other man's face couldn't be ignored.

He'd face dragons and banshees if it made Sirius happy. He'd spend his Christmas in the middle of Dementors if it pleased his husband. Therefore, he could very well stand an overly-friendly woman.

Their hostess called out, "Mika!" A moment later, a grinning boy with messy brown hair and about ten years of age appeared to the doorway.

"Hey, you are those British wizards, right?" he asked with a bit clumsy but absolutely understandable English. "Cool!"

"Now, Mika, these are Misters Sirius and Severus Black," Elisa told her son. "Show them to their room, please?"

"Of course!" the boy exclaimed, then hurried out of the room. Sirius and Severus followed him.

"Here it is," Mika said a moment later, grinning at the door of the guest room. "By the way, are you brothers or husbands? When Dad told about you, Elina said you're brothers, but I said you're husbands."

"Well, you were right. We're indeed husbands," replied Sirius with a smile, grasping Severus's hand with his own in a clearly possessive gesture.

"Wow," the boy said, and grinned. "That's cool." And then, he went away.

"Well, at least they don't have prejudices," laughed Sirius as they took their shrunk trunks from their pockets and returned them to their normal size.

"You're telling me," snorted Severus. "Mika and Elina, eh? I wonder if there are more."

"I'm mostly wondering whether that Elina is a boy or a girl," his husband said with a grin. "I'd rather thought that Mika is a girl's name."

"Obviously, it is not so here." Severus shook his head in desperation. This country was insane, their language was even more insane, and Sirius loved both with all his heart. Their current host, Kalle Haanpaa, had been horrified when he'd heard that they were going to stay in the Ministry's quarters during Christmas. Despite all their protests, he'd invited them over to his own home. He'd also told the Blacks about the Christmas traditions in Finland. Seemingly they gave out the presents in the Christmas Eve, when the main celebration was. The only other thing Severus could make out of the man's lengthy explanations was that Finns usually went to the sauna on the Eve, and that Santa Claus himself would visit them personally. Well, at least that would make up for the Santa Park fiasco, like Sirius had pointed out.

Ever the one to see an occasion to make up for his mistake.

After some time they returned to the kitchen, where Elisa was already waiting for them. Kalle was also there. As soon as the British wizards stepped into the kitchen, thanking their hosts for yet another time for taking them in - of course, they just brushed the thanks off - three curious heads peered from the doorway. Elisa noticed them instantly.

"Ah, there you are, children," she said cheerfully, gesturing them to step into the kitchen. "Children, these are Severus and Sirius Black, they'll stay with us over the holidays. Severus, Sirius, these are my kids. You've already met Mika, and the girls are Elina and Mikaelina."

"Mika, Elina, and Mikaelina, eh?" echoed Sirius in obvious amusement. "Is that really possible?"

Elisa chuckled. "Blame my husband for that," she replied. "Yes, it is indeed possible. Mikaelina is a variety of a more common name, Mikaela."

"Still, it's strange." There was a glint in Sirius's eyes Severus rather would have not seen, however.

* * *

Later that night they were sitting on couches in the living room. The children were playing in one of the corners of the room. The other adults hardly even paid them another glance - except for whenever they heard a suspicious sound, when everybody turned to look at them just to find three perfectly innocent faces staring back - but Sirius was watching them closely.

Something odd flashed in Sirius's eyes as he watched the children. Severus couldn't quite tell what the feeling was, but it was surprisingly disturbing.

"You're working in the Male Pregnancy Section, right?" asked Elisa just then, attracting his attention back to the conversation. "Why don't you two get a couple of children yourself?"

Suddenly, Severus felt some odd feeling settling down to the pit of his stomach. For some reason he couldn't understand, he felt horrified at the mere thought. "I - I'd rather not," he said with a tight, forced voice.

Their hosts gave him a couple of weird glances. Sirius, however, said quickly something in Finnish that Severus didn't understand at all. This made both Kalle and Elisa look really serious, but the glances they were giving him didn't become any more understandable.

Well, it wasn't his problem. He could force the explanation out of Sirius later.

If he only could stop the cold shivers running down his spine first.

* * *

Sometimes Sirius could be really childish, though. Not even mentioning their visit to the Santapark - that had been a pure nightmare- he could name several occasions from the top of his head when Sirius had acted extremely childishly. Sure, he was great with children, but sometimes Severus thought it to be just because he was equal with them by nature.

* * *

24th of December, 2003

* * *

Mom, mom! shouted Elina as she stormed into the kitchen. Mom, it's Christmas Eve at last! Can we open the last hatches?

Of course, Dear, replied the friendly Finnish witch, smiling warmly at her. Why on Earth couldn't you?

The girl squealed in joy and went to the nearby wall. There were three odd things on the wall that Severus had noticed earlier. They were rather like small paintings with a Christmas picture on each. The pictures, however, were full of little hatches. Almost of them were open, revealing little holes behind them. Now Elina went to the last one on what Severus supposed to be her picture, tearing it open with enthusiasm. The Potions Master raised his eyebrows as the girl revealed a piece of chocolate in the hole beneath, stuffing it into her mouth.

"What are those?" asked Sirius, eyeing the pictures even more curiously than Severus. "What are they for?"

"Oh, it's just a little Muggle habit our children adore," laughed Elisa. "They're called chocolate calendars. There's a piece of chocolate for the first twenty-four days of December. They may open one hatch each day and eat the chocolate, and when they open the last, it's Christmas."

Of course, this made Sirius's eyes light up. "What do you think, Severus," he said mischievously, "could it be possible to find one of those with 364 hatches on it?"

"Why on Earth would you want one?" asked Severus back, raising his eyebrows again. "Oh, don't tell me. You want to start waiting for the next Christmas on the Boxing Day."

"And do you have a problem with that?" asked Sirius, grinning. "I happen to like Christmas!"

"Well, I've certainly noticed that," mumbled Severus, rolling his eyes. "Or was it just my imagination that you bought the first Christmas presents in September?"

"Hey!" exclaimed the Animagus in protest. "You should be happy that I wanted to be ready ahead of time!"

"And that forced you to buy all those presents - to yourself?" Severus asked calmly.

Now Elisa and Kalle laughed, Severus smirked, and Sirius flushed a bit. Elina, who hadn't understood what they had been talking about, just watched the adults curiously.

"There was no reason for that," grumbled Sirius annoyedly.

"Oh, yes, there was," Severus said levelly. "I'll inform you as soon as I can think of a reason for it, but believe me, there was one." This, of course, didn't help his husband's mood.

* * *

It was almost midday now, and the children planned to go outside after the lunch. So, now they were standing there in their coats and magically warmed trousers, each searching a wool sock or a mitten or a scarf, or something else they'd lost.

"Where are you going?" asked Sirius, curious as he always was. He, Severus, and Elisa currently stood next to the children, talking about their own things - well, except for Sirius, that was.

"We're going to go down the hill," Mika said, explaining their intentions for his little sisters as well. "It's really fun!"

"You mean you're just going to walk up and down the hill?" asked the Animagus, confused. "How's that fun?"

"Not walking," the boy said, frowning a bit. "We're going to take the - the -" At this, he turned towards his mother for help.

"The sleys, Mika," supplied Elisa calmly. The boy's face lit up instantly.

"Yeah, that's right! We're taking the sleys and sliding down the hill with them!" A bright grin shone from his face. "It is fun, really. Do you want to come with us?"

And to Elisa's great amusement and Severus's shock, Sirius grinned. "Sure I do," he replied. "Why not?"

So, a moment later the three other adults watched from the kitchen window as Sirius was outside, playing with the children. They all slid down the hill on their sleys, then Sirius pulled the sleys up, Mikaela sitting on one of them and the elder children walking on his side. They were all laughing and chattering cheerfully, Jack Frost painting their cheeks red. Their clothes were snowy and their mouths seemed to be permanently set to a broad grin.

At last, however, the three children - four, if you asked Severus - came in. They were all soaking wet and tired and cold, but very cheerful.

"Woah, that was really fun," Sirius said, laughing a bit breathlessly. "Absolutely splendid, really. I loved it!"

"And now you'll catch cold," noted Severus calmly. "And then I won't kiss you before you're all healthy and good again. Why did you have to go, anyway?" he asked then dryly as he brushed snow away from the taller man's jet-black hair.

"Because it sounded fun," Sirius said with a broad grin. "And because - well, because I wanted to know what it would be like."

"Unbelievable," was all that Severus muttered as he then started to help his husband out of all his cloaks and coats and robes.

* * *

That memory made him think of another characteristic of his husband. If anything, Sirius was curious. Everything new and strange fascinated him in a way that an extremely challenging potion could have interested Severus himself. Whatever he didn't know, he asked. Whatever he didn't understand, he learnt. Sometimes, it was just irritating. Sometimes, however, this thirst for knowledge had helped a great deal - like with the incident with his potion bag and Soul Potion.

* * *

25th of March, 1978

* * *

"What's that?" asked Sirius curiously, pointing at something at Severus's hips. His gesture most certainly did not show what he exactly meant, and the Slytherin got confused for a moment.

Then, however, he realized what the Gryffindor meant. "Oh, so you mean my potion bag," he said. "It's just a special thing that only the members of the Potions Master's Guild can have - well, almost members, too. Once you've passed the seventh test, you are allowed one. Usually it goes down in the family, but if there are no bags in the family already, you'll have to get a new one - although sometimes the older Potions Masters give their own bags to their apprentices and get themselves a new one. Every Potions Master using a bag adds his own initials to it." Now he pointed at his own initials in one corner of the bag, embroired with a shiny silver thread. "The more Masters have used a bag, the more valuable it is considered."

"And what's the point of it?" asked the Animagus then. "I mean, it's not really big. I'm sure that only a couple of phials can fit into it."

Severus huffed. "For your information, they are all enchanted," he said. "They can fit in any amount of phials. When you open it, you need to concentrate, and you'll get the potion you need. However," he then added, "it's not quite that easy. Only the owner of the bag can get anything out of it."

"Cool." Sirius crouched down to take a closer look at it. "Is yours inherited from someone?" he asked. "There are quite a lot of initials on it."

Severus nodded. "This was my grandmother's before me," he said. "I think there's one in my father's family also, although there hasn't been a member of the Guild in the Snape line for a long time. The next one after me, however, will get that bag."

"Interesting." Raising his sapphire eyes to Severus, Sirius grinned and continued, "Although it's not as interesting as you are."

"Oh, shut up." But Severus was smiling.

* * *

2nd of February, 1998

* * *

Severus dodged a curse directed at him and swore. His hands reached for the bag on his hips. Without much difficulty he drew out just the one phial he needed. Throwing it at the Death Eater's feet, he watched with twisted satisfaction as a cloud of smoke swallowed the man, who soon began to scream.

This potion was one of his own creations. He wasn't proud of it - how could he? It was purely for torture - but it was useful. Called the Nightmare Draught, it had a rather interesting effect on people. Whoever inhaled the smoke, soon lived through his worst nightmares. It couldn't kill or physically harm anyone, but it sure as hell was an effective form of torture. At least it would keep the Death Eater otherwise occupied while he tried to find his husband.

"Sirius!" he yelled through the noise. "Sirius!" However, there was no reply.

Cursing inwardly, Severus started to find his way through the battlefield, an Invisiblity Potion helping his way. Wherever their side seemed to be losing, he threw in a couple of potions to help, but otherwise, he kept well away from the fighting. Only Sirius was important now.

At last he found his husband, covering in the corner of the open field they were fighting at. Sirius was also hidden by the Invisibility Potion. However, as they were both affected by it, they could still see each other.

Tsking slightly, Severus shook his head. "Why so miserable a face, my dear husband?" he asked dryly.

"I lost my wand," sighed Sirius. "Now I can only wait until somebody who can cast a simple Accio can help me get it back." With a quick glance at Severus, he asked, "You haven't a wand, have you?" His tone was almost accusing.

"No, I don't," replied Severus calmly. "I've no need for one, anyway. I'm sorry, but I cannot help - Accio is such a tricky thing to turn into a potion, as it should be modified especially for each thing you want to summon."

"Shit," muttered Sirius. Then he sighed. "I guess I'll just have to -" Then, he froze. "Fuck," he cursed. "Dementors! Quick, get a Patronus Potion!"

Severus, however, did not hear him. He was currently in the middle of a memory of one of the worse beatings he'd got from his bastard father. The man, looking exactly like Severus himself did nowadays, stormed towards him with his hand raised -

And then, a huge wave of coldness flew through him, and he knew no more.

* * *

Then everything was warm again. Severus opened slowly his eyes only to look right in to the concerned eyes of his husband. "What - what happened?"

"You fainted, love," Sirius replied. "The battle put your guards down enough for the Dementors to strike."

"Then - then what took them down?" asked the Slytherin, confused. What exactly had happened?

"Your Patronus took them down," replied the Animagus. "In fact, it's just in the job of doing it." He pointed over his shoulder. Severus saw a large, silvery panther chasing two shadowly figures.

"But - how?" asked Severus, confused. "Only I can get potions from my bag!"

"That's true," admitted Sirius. "But it's also true that the Soul Potion has a little part of you inside it. Seemingly that little piece was enough for the bag to grant me permission."

"Oh... oh, Merlin." Shaking his head slowly, Severus then staggered to his feet. Reaching for his bag, he drew out a potion that helped him to get over the aftereffects of a Dementor attack. "Very well," he said then. "Let's go to find somebody who can Accio your wand, and then, let's see how we can help the others fight."

* * *

Ah, yes, the potions bags. The one passed down in the Snape family was now reserved to Malcolm - if he only passed his tests first. Olivia would get one from the family, too; her great-aunt had left a bag after herself, as Lucius used his mother's bag. '_If Olivia still belongs to that family when she finally passes her seventh test,_' thought Severus then gloomily. '_Or even the first one._' He had to dismiss the thought soon, however, as it was too depressing and he wasn't exactly cheerful as it was. After a moment, his thoughts went back to Sirius.

Sirius had the worst temper Severus had ever seen - his own included. Really, it was unbelievable what little things the Animagus could use as a base for a quarrel. However, as Sirius was a Gryffindor, he was also the more forgiving one of them, always ready to take the first step towards peace by apologizing. He kind of had to, anyway - Severus himself certainly wasn't one to apologize easily. And the temper could also be useful at times - at least when it wasn't directed at Severus himself.

* * *

1st of December, 2000

* * *

Remus, Severus, and Sirius were rushing through the Diagon Alley. Lucius had taken the children to see Lilian, and the other three men were currently looking for a birthday present for Joyce - her birthday would be in just a few days.

Somebody rushed around the corner, colliding with Severus. The Slytherin took a step backwards, started by the sudden contact. Putting on his best scowl, he glared at the man.

Instead of an apology, however, he got a wholly different reaction. "Fucking hooknosed Death Eater git," the man muttered under his breath. However, he did not say it quietly enough, as the next second found him pinned against the wall of a nearby store.

"Say that again," Sirius said with a cold, threatening voice. "Say one bad word about my husband again, and you'll be dead."

"Calm down, Sirius," Remus said, placing a calming hand on his arm. "Don't get so worked up."

"I will when Severus is insulted," replied the Animagus. Turning towards the man, he said coldly, "Well? Apologize. You had absolutely no right to say that."

"Let him be, Sirius," Severus said now, although he didn't really mind all this that Sirius was doing for him. "As much as I appreciate your effort, I'd rather not have you put into Azkaban again."

This made Sirius calm down enough for him to let the man go. He did still glare at the offender, however. "Apologize," he spat again.

"Let the bastard be," commanded Severus. "He's not worth your efforts." And with that, he and Remus dragged the Animagus away.

"Why did you do that?" asked Sirius angrily. "He insulted you! Why didn't you let me get back at him?"

"Because nothing he said was exactly untrue," replied Severus casually. "Well, except for maybe the fucking part, I really do prefer being on bottom - oh, don't blush, Remus, I know that even you talk dirty sometimes," he added then, rolling his eyes towards the sky. "But anyway, I've been called names before. I was a teacher, remember? There's hardly anything he could say that I hadn't already heard from one of my students." Then he added with a smirk, "Although it was a nice gesture."

"Well, isn't that so bloody typical," Sirius said with a grin. "Only a Slytherin would be touched by a gesture that involves beating the shit out of someone."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Remus said thoughtfully. "I _was_ really moved when Lucius showed the right side of the things to a guy who, knowing very well what I am, commented loudly that all werewolves should be executed."

"Ha! I knew it," Sirius said. "So you do have a little Slytherin inside you, after all."

"Not always, but occasionally yes," the werewolf replied slyly. "And I wouldn't exactly say little."

"What did I say?" Severus raised an eyebrow, speaking over Sirius's roar of laughter. "Talking dirty again."

* * *

"Mister Black?" somebody called. As he raised his eyes, he saw a mediwitch standing in front of him. "I'm sorry, Mister Black," she said quietly, avoiding his eyes. "We cannot tell for sure whether your husband will survive."

'_NO!_' thought Severus. '_This can't be all happening again... Not again... For the love of Salazar, I can't take this again. Not on top of the memories of Brian, and the trial going so awry._'

But in his heart he knew that it was indeed happening again. Only he did not know whether it would end even as well as it had the last time.

* * *

...Yeah, the translation of the word was my work. I don't think it's even anywhere near the true meaning of it, but that's the best I can do. And it is a real word. No, no kidding. 

Next chapter: **Suspicions**  
Severus tries to keep his world in one piece. However, everything is going just downhill from what it's already, and on top of that, strange nightmares mixed with visions continue to disturb his nights. At last, he can't take it anymore.


	23. Suspicions

Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: Now, here's the betaed version of this chap. My thousand thanks to **Airiel** for doing that.

* * *

..Our little one. .

Chapter Twenty-Three

Suspicions

This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

* * *

Severus dreamed.

It was innocent enough: A corridor he vaguely recognized to be one of the endless halls of the Malfoy Manor. A row of portraits hung on the wall.

The portraits were very familiar to him. In every portrait, there was the same dress, every time on a different young woman, all looking to be about sixteen. The belt on the dress was fastened with the same silver snake in every painting, and even though each of theirs blonde hair was adorned with a different kind of silver and emerald jewellery, they all had the same snake earrings and the same elegant silver collar around their neck, a tiny snake pendant on it. They all had the same platinum blonde hair he'd got used to seeing on Lucius and Draco, and all of their eyes held the same silvery light. They were the eldest daughters of Malfoy, all future - or, rather, past - Mistresses of the Manor, all portrayed as they were on their sixteenth birthday.

Slowly walking past the row of the paintings, Severus noticed more and more names he recognized on the carvings or small signs on the picture frames. Then came the final ones - Melinda Malfoy, a gentle-looking, though elegant woman, and Luciane Malfoy, with a nasty smirk on her lips. Like none of the others, they were not asleep despite the fact that it was dim in the corridor and moonlight from the high window in the end of the corridor chased the shadows of night. Instead, both were watching him attentively, not saying a word, just watching.

"Why am I here?" asked the Seer at last. "Is this a vision, or just a dream?"

"Don't you know it by yourself, the One Who Sees?" asked Melinda calmly, sounding just as peaceful and gentle as Lucius's stories had made Severus think of her as. Luciane, however, smirked nastily.

"Of course he doesn't," the young witch said, her lips still curled into an evil smirk. "He's just about to lose his _husband_, after all, he can't tell whether even he's awake or asleep." With a nasty laugh, she added, "Well, this is not a memory, nor is it a strictly true dream. That's all I will tell you, Seer."

Then Severus heard a sudden sound behind himself, and saw a shadow being casted onto the wall in front of him. Spinning around, he immediately saw the suddenly appearing figure in front of the window.

It was Olivia. She was wearing the same dress as every Malfoy Lady in the portraits, the same silver collar adorning her neck. A ray of moonlight was caught in the snake pendant, making it look almost alive. The pale light also made her hair look a lighter, almost blonde colour instead of the usual honey tone, and it gave her grey eyes a silvery shade that was not any less enchanting than the unearthly glow in each Malfoy's eyes in the portraits.

"This is where I belong," Olivia whispered, sounding desperate. "Don't let them take me away from here..."

And then, she faded away, as well as the corridor and the portraits.

* * *

"So now I find you here," Dudley Dursley said nastily at the man in front of him. They were both standing on a little alley in London. The other man glared at him through his glasses, but didn't say a word. Nobody noticed their conversation. It was night already, and there were a very few people around. Sometimes you could see couple coming from movies, interested only in each other, or a group of friends exiting a restaurant, chattering happily. None of these by-passers, however, noticed the two men in the alley.

"What's wrong, freak?" the fat man taunted. "Did the cat got your tongue? Or are you just afraid of speaking in case you start to cry, little orphan-Pottie? I bet you're just a bastard, you never had real parents, since nobody would ever claim anybody like _you_ their own son!"

"One insult more to him," said an extremely cold voice behind them, "and those words will be your last."

Dudley turned around pretty fast for someone with his weight. When he saw the people behind him, his eyev widened and he went pale on his face. "You... who are you..." he stammered, stumbling backwards.

"I'm Lucius Malfoy," a tall, blond man replied. He was wearing rather elegant clothes, nothing out of ordinary from a wealthy business man, although he certainly didn't look comfortable with his suit. He looked at Dudley, seemingly disgusted. "And, as I said before, you'd better stop insulting my son-in-law or you'll regret that."

"Definitely," a young man added. He had the same kind of pure blond hair as the tall man. He took a step forward, a furious expression on his face.

"Calm down, Draco," said a golden-haired young girl - the only female person in the group. "Don't do anything yet. Let him explain his behaviour - if he has an explanation." She didn't seem to think so.

"Right. If you can explain with exactly ten words why you were talking like that to him, you'll survive. Maybe," said the man who had called himself Malfoy - was it Luceus? Or Lucius? Dudley couldn't really recall the name.

He shivered under the glare of six pairs of furious eyes. He also felt Harry's glare locked at his back, and had to use all his self-control to stay on his place. He swallowed nervously and said, "I hate him - he's a freak - he doesn't have respect-"

"That was already ten words," the young man interrupted. "I don't think that's enough of explanation. At first, you can't possibly hate him as much as I hate you for what you and your family did to him. At second, he's not a freak. He's one of the most powerful wizards in the world - he brought down the Dark Lord, possibly saving your sorry life with that as well. And if anyone here has a lack of respect, it's you." He turned towards the girl. "Does this satisfy your sense of justice?"

"I guess it does," the girl shrugged. "He had a chance to defend himself, and he just insulted Harry more. Do whatever you want to do to him."

"Perfect answer, little sister," the young man grinned. "Can I now beat him?" He looked very eager to hurt Dudley. The fat man trembled and tried to walk backwards, but bumped into Harry, who was still standing there.

"Go ahead, son," the tall man said. "If anyone else doesn't have anything against it?" He looked at the other people, who had all remained silent - one man with golden brown hair and two men with long, black hair. One of them had a hooked nose, and he looked especially bitter.

"I don't have anything against it," said the other blackhaired man - the not-hooked-nosed one , "but I'd like to join in the beating."

"I knew that," the hooked-nosed said, rolling his eyes. "Always ready for a little bit of violence, aren't we, Sirius? I think I'm going to continue the walk to the Floo station while these gentlemen are having their entertaiment. Is anyone coming with me?"

"I will," the brownhaired man replied. "I don't think I can keep myself from tearing the throat of that little prat if I have to stay here any longer looking at his overweighed face."

"I'm coming also," the girl said, smiling a bit. "Let's leave him here with Harry, an angry father-in-law, an outraged adopted father and a totally furious husband. I don't think it'll take long for them to finish with him."

"Hu-husband?" Dudley stammered. "You - you're his husband?" He stared at the young man in front of him.

"Oh, yes I am," the man replied. "And if you have a problem about homosexual people, just tell us - we all happen to be gays, so just give us another reason to beat you."

"Draco!" the girl snapped. "Just because he's rude, you don't have to be too!"

"Fine, Mum," the young man who'd been called Draco mumbled sarcastically.

"I'm not your Mum," she replied, "Narcissa is. I'm just your sister - and that's enough of a reason to scold you," she then added with a grin. "And don't forget notice-me-not charms - the last thing you need is problems with the Muggle police." She sighed like expecting them to do just that.

Dudley examined his situation. Everybody was now concentrated on the bickering between the two young siblings. He was surrounded and could not escape from the alley - unless something caused some chaos, of course. Dudley Dursley would have never called himself a brave man, rather a cowardly one. And like most cowards, he did not hesitate about attacking somebody who had their back turned to him.

All Severus could see as a warning was a glint of light on some metal. Before he could cry out, the fat Muggle had already attacked with the knife he'd slipped to sight from his sleeve. Sirius started to turn around as he heard the movement, but the accident he'd had with his motorbike a few years back had slowed his reactions. Therefore, he could not avoid the knife that by pure dumb luck - Dursley obviously wasn't used to dealing with a knife - slashed a vein on his neck. Sirius clutched his throat, trying to stop the blood pouring out through his fingers as he fell slowly to his knees.

Olivia screamed, then shrieked, "Help! Somebody, get help!" The others just watched, shocked, as Severus hurried to his husband's aid. Even Dursley didn't seem to wholly understand just what he had done and what had happened. He just stared at the scene in front of him, unmoving.

It didn't take long from somebody to call Muggle police. Soon enough Severus stood there, Draco eyeing him worriedly, as they listened to Lucius explain what had happened. " My family and I were just getting home from a restaurant, when this man started to threaten my son-in-law. Well, my friends and I, of course, told him to forget it or we'd deal with him, but he attacked with a knife and - well, my friend wasn't fast enough," he concluded quietly, glancing at Sirius, who now lay on the ground, not breathing.

Dursley was now safely guarded with a couple of officers, handcuffed and looking shocked. Olivia stood nearby, crying comfortlessly, and Remus and Harry were trying to soothe her. A police officer knelt down next to Sirius, then glanced up again. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "There's nothing to be done."

And at that moment, Severus's world fell apart. They had come through everything - two Wars, two motorbike accidents, years and years full of less-than-fortunate events. And now, after they'd survived all that, this would take Sirius's life? A knife on a dark alley, by the hand of a fat Muggle who didn't even know how to hold it correctly, and had probably even carried the knife just to make an impression on some of his stupid friends. An accident, dumb luck, and nothing more.

Severus fell down to his knees, unable to do anything else but just weep like the world had come to its end and he'd been the one to crush it in his hands.

* * *

Severus sighed deep as he crouched down in front of a simple marble gravestone. A trembling hand - was it really his- reached out to trace the deep engraved letters on the gravestone:

_"Sirius Black_

_20th of October, 1960 - 27nd of March, 2004_

_May he rest in peace at last."_

"Severus?" asked a quiet voice behind him. "Severus, we must leave already."

"I'm coming, Harry," he said, his words accompanied by a quiet sigh. Standing up again, he turned slowly to face the young Seeker, who was watching him, obvious concern written over his features.

"He died happy," said Harry quietly as they walked from the graveyeard, side by side. "You know that. Sirius didn't suffer, nor did his life end in agony. He just, well, fell asleep."

"I know that," replied Severus, sighing a bit. "And I'm happy about that... I'm happy that I could at least say a proper goodbye before he was gone. If he had died during his coma, it would have been even worse. Then again, maybe not - at least I wouldn't have had the hope that raised its head again when he woke up, even if it was for such a short time. But at least the last thing he knew of life wasn't fear and pain."

"And that's more than he ever hoped," the Gryffindor said, "since he only hoped to die with you loving him. Let's drop that subject, anyway," he then added. "The Malfoys and Draco are waiting already. Oh, and Malcolm, of course. He and Olivia had something to tell us, they wouldn't tell what, but I can guess."

"Exactly." Severus managed a weak smile, even though it was now the exact day that his husband had died on three painful years ago. "In fact, I'm a bit surprised he didn't pop the question earlier. Though the way he did it was very sweet, rather uncharacteristical from him in fact, what with the roses and all."

Now, Harry looked startled. "You saw it?" he asked, astonished.

"No, I didn't see it," replied the Slytherin calmly. "Instead, I Saw it. Dreamed of it, like Olivia dreamed of your proposal to Draco all those years ago." He then drew a deep breath and straightened his back. "Let's go," he said quietly to his adopted son. "It's about the time we join the world once again."

* * *

"Mister Black," one of the mediwizards said. "Mister Black, we need your permission to do this."

Severus covered his eyes with his hand, unable to watch. "You have my permission," he said quietly, turning around.

He did hear the quiet mumbling when the mediwizards reversed the spells keeping his husband's body alive, though. He also heard Sirius's body struggling for breath, and losing that struggle.

Sirius's soul had left that body a long time ago; the icy cold phial of his beloved husband's Soul Potion hanging against his chest, teasing his skin, told that better than any mediwizard could. However, it was still hard, so very hard to let go of that one symbol of the love they'd shared.

As soon as he left the place of death and got back to his home, his quiet, empty home, Severus walked to his stocks. With steady hands he reached for a particular phial on one of the top shelves - well out of sight of anybody who didn't know what to look for. Uncorking it, he soon downed the potion.

The deadly poison felt almost calming as it slid down his throat.

* * *

"Severus?" asked a quiet voice. The Potions Master raised his tired eyes from the comatose lying on the bed in front of him, seeing his best friend standing in the doorway. "Severus," Lucius said again, walking further into the room. "The trial will continue tomorrow - we cannot push it any further. Are you able to continue, or will we find somebody to your place?"

"I'll do it," replied the younger man hoarsely. "I need something to take my thoughts off of - something else for me to do but wait and hope and fear. I'm tired of this, Lucius. I'm tired of this all."

"And you look like it," replied his fellow Slytherin concernedly, walking to his side. "When was the last time you slept, Severus? And don't try to get smart with me, you know what I mean," he added sharply.

"I - I don't know." Severus hang his head down. "It was - I think it was before _that_ day, the one when all hell got loose on us. Or was it even then? No, no, it wasn't. The last time I slept properly, with nothing pressing my mind, was more than a month ago, somewhere halfway through February. Yes, that's it - before the memories of Brian."

"Merlin, Severus," sighed his best friend, sitting down on another chair next to him. "You're doing yourself no good with all this shit, my friend. You'll soon go crazy with the rate you're going."

Severus shook his head tiredly. "I'm already crazy, Lucius, there's not going anywhere with me anymore," he said quietly. "I'm a Seer of the highest level, yet I can't even tell a nightmare from a true vision. I know I had a vision last night, I could still smell it in the air when I woke up - and yet I don't know what is true and what is just creation of my own, dark, tired mind."

"And you cannot even use the Dreamless Sleep Potion," finished Lucius. "Not with the amounts of Calming Potion you're undoubtedly using. Mixing some of those is fine, but too large amounts might prove fatal."

"Exactly." Severus nodded tiredly. "And I'll need even more of the Calming Potion once the trial starts again. Large amounts are certainly not healthy in long-term use, but I have to do it for now. I have to."

"He'll make it, Severus," said Lucius after a moment of silence. "You know him. He'd come back alive after a year of being dead if he could make you a bit happier by that."

"I know," Severus said, and sighed again. "But there are things even he cannot win." With a much quieter voice, he added, "Even he cannot escape the death forever."

Lucius didn't say anything. Instead, he just placed his hand on Severus's shoulder, not saying a word.

* * *

Yet another night. Yet another bunch of nightmares. Severus tossed and turned in his bed, unable to find any rest in the middle of the horrifying images flooding his mind. It'd been like this for two weeks already, ever since Sirius's accident he'd suffered every night. Not only was he having nightmares, but the Calming Potion messed his Seer's instincts even more, making him totally unable to tell a true vision from a dream with not even a friction of truth in it.

* * *

A door opened, revealing Remus, who lay on the floor, the bloody wounds on his wrists just barely stopped bleeding. A knife had fallen from his hand. Somebody walked in, and, seeing the werewolf, cried out in agony. Severus watched as Lucius sank to his knees next to his beloved, tears breaking free of the blond's silver eyes. He saw as the other Potions Master searched franticly for a pulse.

Then, Lucius turned towards him, and Severus realized that he was in this vision as well. "He's dead," Lucius said hoarsely. "He is dead, Remus is dead, and it's my fault because I didn't protect him better..."

And then, Severus heard a cold, unfeeling voice he recognized all too well as Weasley's. "_I shall cut the Malfoy line_."

The scene changed. Now, Severus watched a coffin being lowered into a deep, dark grave. He knew immediately what was inside it - Remus's body. There wasn't a single sound as he and the other people in the funeral watched a tall, elegant form in a completely black robe walk to the side of the grave, leaning heavily onto his snake-headed cane. For a moment, he just looked down there.

Then, after whispering some words none of them could hear, Lucius turned around abruptly and hurried away. Severus made a move to go after him, but Sirius placed a calming hand on his arm.

"Let him go," the Animagus advised gently as Severus turned to look at him. "He needs to be alone now."

"Then he won't see the dawn tomorrow," snapped Severus. Then he continued on his way after his best friend, hoping to reach Lucius before the blonde could do anything that couldn't be fixed.

He didn't manage, though. Just on the other side of the hill, he found the black form curled onto the white snow. A tiny phial had fallen from Lucius's hand, one which Severus's sharp mind recognized immediately even in this chaos. A deadly poison, and an uncurable one. Took effect in mere seconds.

Somebody laughed behind him. As he turned around, one slightly trembling hand still reached out towards his friend, he saw the all-too-familiar redhaired form in front of himself.

"_I shall cut the Malfoy line_," the cruel voice again echoed through his mind. As he tried to attack Weasley, however, the man vanished into thin air. And then, the scene changed again.

Draco was flying high in the air, enjoying the feel of cool, wild air in his hair. Severus was standing in the ground, looking up to Draco, who was seemingly wholly involved into a game of catch-the-Snitch with Harry. The game was pretty equal, whether it was for true skills or Harry giving in, Severus did not know.

He did know, however, that something was wrong when Draco's broomstick suddenly started to jump around like somebody had jinxed it. Then the broomstick flew right downwards with an incredible speed, and even though Harry tried to catch his lover, he was too late. The young blond was now dropped from his trusted broom, falling hard to the ground. Olivia screamed on his side.

And when Severus hurried to Draco's side, he noticed that the young man's neck had been snapped by the fall down to the cold, unwelcoming earth.

"_I shall cut the Malfoy line_," Severus heard the terrifying voice again. This time, he was prepared for the switch of the scene that appeared in front of him.

And Olivia stood in front of him. No, she did not stand; she was crouching, like trying to avoid some danger threatening her from somewhere above. And then an arm reached out, an arm belonging to a man in a long, black robe, and grasped her hand. Olivia tried to scream, but not a sound ever got out. A jet of green light had flown from the man's wand, colliding with her chest. As the man's hand released its grasp, the girl fell down to the ground, her face a mask of unbidden horror, her eyes wide with fear, the light of life gone.

The last thing he knew before the picture faded again was the familiar, cold voice. "_I shall cut the Malfoy line._"

* * *

It was dark and quiet, but then again, so was it always. Severus's steps were silent as he swept through the dim halls, and he saw no point in having the lights on when there was nobody around but himself. Through the lonely years he had become even more the night owl he'd always been to a point. Nowadays he practically lived at night, needing no more than the fires under his dear cauldrons to light his work. At times he would even spend hours in complete darkness, his fingers being the only quide he needed. Days he spent either locked up in his laboratory, like the nights, or, occasionally, sleeping. A humourless smirk curled his lips as he thought of the old rumours of him being a vampire. Well, those rumours certainly wouldn't have died if the students had known how he lived nowadays.

But nobody knew. Well, nobody but his family and friends, anyway. Of course they were worried; he could see it in their eyes and expressions whenever he met them. His sisters were always nagging at him, telling him that he should change this depressed lifestyle, and Lucius was no better. Harry and Draco never said anything, but they insisted on showing up on random visits in the middle of the day, and always looked disappointed if they caught his sleeping. (Severus, of course, tried to avoid this by sleeping even less, so in fact they were just making the problem they were trying to solve even worse.) And Remus never said anything, never did anything, since Remus knew he wouldn't have wanted that.

Then there was Olivia. Little Olivia, even though she wasn't so little anymore - she was twenty-two years old now, a brilliant Potions Mistress, and happily married to her dear Malcolm. Olivia Snape, the Young Mistress of the Snape Manor - Draco was quite satisfied with the Potter Place he and Harry shared, but as Malcolm was the last heir of Snape, they'd decided that the Malfoy Manor would go to Siriel, the younger one of Remus and Lucius's adopted children. So, aside from Lilian, Olivia and Malcolm were nowadays what people meant when they talked about the Snapes.

And soon, there would be two Snapes more - of course Olivia hadn't admitted anything, what with all the bad experiences about pregnancies in the family, but Severus had Seen that she would give birth to healthy twin boys in July. One of them would be named Sirius.

The thought stung, but not as badly as it had the first time he had Seen this. His Sirius was dead, but he would be remembered. And, even though it seemed to him like the time had stopped flowing, outside his laboratory life was going on. He also knew that he shold have moved on, too. But it was too hard.

Olivia and Malcolm, thankfully, understood that. Whenever they came for a visit, it was late, and the young couple always stayed past midnight, until Malcolm dragged Olivia home to sleep, obviously concerned about her and the secret babies' health. And after they left, Severus would sit motionlessly for a long time, staring quietly into the fireplace, thinking of everything he could have once had but now would never receive. And only then, he would cry.

Oh, he wasn't envious of the young couple's happiness. He wasn't envious when he saw them happy, he didn't envy the Malfoys when he saw Lucius and Remus spoiling the little five-year-old Siriel rotten, happy smiles on their faces. _"Snapes never envy,"_ had his father told him on one of those rare moments he'd actually tried to raise him with words rather than a fist, _"Snapes never envy, and you are a Snape. Don't forget that."_ And Severus hadn't forgotten, for forgotting meant getting beaten. No, he wasn't envious. He only wished he could have had the same he saw his friends and family having.

Oh, he wasn't going to die, not yet. That much, if nothing else, he owed to his husband for all their years together. His work wasn't just mindless labour; it had a purpose. That purpose was to help Remus, the one person Sirius had ever loved as much as he had loved Severus, or Harry. They'd all held equal parts of the Animagus's heart, even though in very different ways each. And for Sirius's love for the werewolf, if not for his own friendship with the man, Severus had to help Remus.

The Wolfsbane Potion was far from perfect. And Severus would not be satisfied with his work until he managed to make the transformation completely painless to those suffering, if not cure the curse itself. That was why he spent all his waking time in the laboratory, not even remembering to eat at times. Because he had to help, and because he had made a promise to himself.

A promise that he would not join Sirius in the land beyond even a Seer's dreams before his work was done. Only then he could leave.

Only then he could rest in peace.

* * *

Severus watched in quiet horror as a woman was thrown violently to the ground. Her golden brown hair made him for a moment think that this was Olivia he was seeing violated, but the next moment he realized that it was Maria Magpie, Olivia's mother. However, the man crouching above her was truly a Death Eater, like were the numerous black-clad forms all around, torturing men and women - undoubtedly Squibs or Muggleborns - in all ways imaginable.

Just as the Death Eater opened his outer robe and knelt down to finish what he'd just started with the screaming and struggling woman, Severus saw something that almost stopped his heart.

To be exact, a long strand of platinum blond hair that had just fallen to his sight from the side of the white Death Eater mask. It was hair he recognized all too well - hadn't he seen it so many times, in so many occasions, and during so many years? And moreover, didn't he very well know the eyes that he could see through the mask - those cool, emotionless silver eyes?

* * *

Severus and Lucius glanced at each other before slowly pushing the door open. Then, as if on cue, they both stepped inside at exactly the same moment.

What they saw inside made them both drop their wands - Severus had his own rarely enough in his hand, while Lucius's was enclosed into his cane, like it always was. The blond man then, uncaring about the dropped cane or the pain this action caused to him, ran to the unmoving form that lay on the floor. With trembling hands, he searched for a pulse on his husband's pale neck.

Then he raised his eyes to Severus, and the silvery pools were full of tears.

"I can't do anything," whispered Lucius. "I cannot do anything for him... He's gone." And then Lucius Malfoy, who had survived two Wars, years of unnerving spying, even Azkaban, broke down completely. He wept and wept, and Severus just simply held him, unable to give any comfort as he knew it was impossible. Nothing he could say would ease the other man's grief.

He did know it, after all. Or hadn't they both lost a husband to the death now?

* * *

And yet again, Severus woke up, noticing the scent of a true vision still heavy in the air.

* * *

"Oh, there you are, Mister Black!" a mediwitch exclaimed as he walked to the ward where his husband was lying in coma. "We were just trying to contact you! We have some news regarding your husband!"

"What? What's happened?" asked Severus hurriedly. If there had been a change to worse...

However, to his great relief, it wasn't that. "He's awake!" the mediwitch said excitedly. "Some time ago he just sat up and started to ask for you! We've never had such a sudden and fast recovery, it's -"

The rest of her words never reached Severus's ears as the Potions Master hurried towards his husband's hospital room. Sirius was awake. His husband was awake and well.

Suddenly, he couldn't believe that anything could go badly. Not even the trial.

"Sirius!" he exclaimed as soon as he got into the room he knew all too well from these days of agony. "Thank Merlin, Sirius, you are awake at last! I thought you would never woke up..."

"Well, I couldn't disappoint you like that, now could I?" replied the Animagus who lay on the bed. He seemed a bit tired, but perfectly fine other than that. Even the bandages that still covered his skin here and there couldn't take away Severus's relieved delight.

"If that damned motorbike hadn't exploded on its own, I would have blown it up," muttered Severus while embracing his husband tightly. "This is the second accident you've had with it! And if you even imagine that you will get another one of those ridiculous bikes, then you are sorely mistaken! I will not tolerate -"

"Severus," Sirius interrupted, placing a finger onto his lips to stop his tirade. "Listen to me. You have to hear one thing." As the Potions Master shut up, looking at him questioningly, the Gryffindor continued, "It was not an accident. Somebody caused it - and I know who it was."

Severus listened as Sirius told his story. And the more he listened, the more his onyx eyes hardened. When he'd heard everything, anybody who'd ever done anything bad to him would have cowered back in stunning fear. He had almost lost his husband - and for what?

Truly, the one who'd attempted the murder would sorely regret it.

* * *

That night, Severus slept properly for the first time in Merlin knew how long. He did not fear for his husband anymore, and he now knew he had a weapon to use against his opponent. However, even though his rest was certainly peaceful, one of his old dreams still haunted him, making him frown in his sleep and shiver despite the warmth that was enveloping here.

And when he woke up the next morning, the scent of true Seeing was hanging strongly in the air.

* * *

Severus pushed open a door. It felt like it had been forever since he'd last entered this place. The members of the Potions Master's Council all had their own personal offices in both the Ministry and Guild Headquarters, but he rarely came to his Ministry one. It had been - what? Two years, or three already- no, "only" two years since he'd last been there. Now, however, he had returned, for a very specific reason.

So, instead of continuing to his own office, he stopped in front of the door leading to Lucius's one. Quietly murmuring the password, he pushed the door open and stepped into the office.

Even though Lucius certainly hadn't used his own office room even as "recently" as Severus, the house-elves had kept the office clean. There were a few photos on the desk - one of Narcissa with her husband, one of Draco when he was only a four-year-old, adorable little child, one of Severus and Sirius, and one of Remus and Lucius himself. In the picture of the two Malfoys Severus could also see Philip and Joyce waving at him, and he sighed. Family and friends, all Lucius's loved ones. It was just what you would expect to find on a man's desk in his office, and Lucius Malfoy was hardly an exception of this rule.

Those pictures, however, were not what Severus was looking for. Instead, he went to the wall next to the desk. A child's drawing had been fastened onto the wall - Philip's drawing. And next to the picture, the dark-haired man saw something else hanging on a little hook. It was a golden pendant, one which Lucius had got on his forty-fifth birthday. It'd been his birthday just a couple of days after the day of misfortune, Severus now realized, and none of them had even remembered it. Most probably not even Lucius himself.

Well, that was not what he needed to think about now. Instead, he reached for the pendant. It had been equipped with strong antithievery charms, but it was not a bother to him - why ever would Lucius have wanted to keep Severus away from his property? And truly, the charms didn't harm him, even though he did notice the trickle of magic going through his hand. With skilled fingers, he opened the lid of the pendant.

There, he found what he'd been looking for. A small wizarding picture of Remus, Lucius, and little Joyce and Philip adorned one half of the inside of the pendant. The other half, the gold covered with soft, green velvet, held four little locks of hair. One was golden brown, two were blond, and one was dark, reddish brown. The golden brown and one of the blond ones - Remus's and Lucius's - were fastened onto the pendant with tiny emerald pins, while Joyce's and Philip's locks were held with tiny sapphires. With extreme care, Severus took only a couple of strands from the lock of Lucius's hair. He would not need more. This was all he needed to get what he wanted. And he wanted, no, he _had_ to know. Just simply know. And he could not ask Lucius for the hairs, as he could not give empty hope to his friend.

Dropping the few hairs into a tiny phial, one which he closed tightly, he then put the pendant back to its place, made sure that everything was where it was supposed to be, and left the room. He did not leave the Ministry building, however, before making yet another stop in the Potions Master's Guild's area. To be exact, he went to the laboratory, leaving there this tiny phial, and another one he'd filled before, and of course his instructions. The Potions Mistress he gave them to looked surprised and a bit curious about her new assignment, but promised to do as he wished.

She did know, after all, that when the Lead Potions Master gave an order, he was to be obeyed.

* * *

It was a wholly different Severus Snape who entered the courtroom the next day. The other people present, who during the last week and a half had got used to dealing with a depressed, broken man, noticed this change immediately. Some of them welcomed this, some wondered, and some were just plain annoyed.

Now, Severus was far from depressed. His steps were fast, almost hurried, as he went to his seat. The sharp onyx eyes seemed to be watching everybody at the same time, seemingly sharp enough to look into everyone's heart and soul and see all the secrets hidden there. Not a few avoided his gaze. Ronald Weasley was no better than the others.

That day, Weasley had got yet another witness to prove that the Malfoys were involved with Dark Arts and were thus unsuitable to take care of a child. The witness was the very same witch who'd sold Olivia her wand, and to whom the girl as well as Severus himself had immediately taken a disliking.

"Yes, I do remember them," the witch said to Weasley's questions. "I have a sense for everything Dark, and this group was just reeking of it. It took all of my strength not to call Aurors at the same moment."

"You say you can sense Dark," Severus said smoothly, eyeing the woman coolly. Not a wonder he hadn't liked her. "Could it be possible that the Dark Marks on the two spies on the group, and especially Remus Malfoy's Lycanthropy could have driven your instincts wild without any true Dark Arts being involved?"

The woman even had the guts to just shrug. "For anything I know, all Dark creatures are involved with the Dark Arts, as well as Death Eaters. So, what's the difference?"

The Potions Master snorted, then looked at the judge. "Your honour," he said, "I claim this so-called proof clearly unsufficient, and I demand ending this question, as the witness hardly can give us any more insight to the topic." To his great satisfaction, the judge agreed to that.

Weasley, of course, tried to argue. However, he couldn't come up with anything that Severus didn't shoot down immediately. At one point, he dared to glance towards the Malfoys. For the first time ever since the day Sirius had gotten into the accident, he saw some hope on their faces. Satisfied with this, he concentrated on the trial yet again.

At one point, a Ministry official entered the courtroom. Nobody paid any attention to him; half of the room was filled with the black-robed people. Many noticed him, however, as he came to Severus's side, giving the man some parchments and whispering furiously. This was so much like the scene just before he'd won the trial against the Magpies that the Malfoys and Harry couldn't help but lean forward, eagerly waiting to hear what it was all about.

And then, just like they had expected, Severus stood up. "Your honour, may I speak?" he asked.

The judge nodded her head - again so similarly to the previous trial. "Go ahead, Mr. Black."

Severus glanced down at the document he'd just been presented, rereading them just to be sure. As he noticed, he had indeed read right the first time. Still, he checked it for the one last time before clearing his throat, well aware of the numerous stares locked on him.

"I demand ending this trial," he said, just like he'd said only a few weeks ago. Yet again, everyone's eyes were on him, like wondering what he'd come up with this time. "I claim simple and clear victory in the case to Mr. and Mr. Malfoy."

"And upon what you claim this victory?" the judge asked. She, too, looked just as curious as everybody else. More burning than anyone's eyes, however, he felt the gazes of Remus, Lucius, and Olivia aimed at his back. For them, if not for anything else, he had to win this trial.

"I claim it upon a simple juridical case," Severus said, suddenly feeling calmer than ever since winning the trial against the Magpies. "I just got the evidence of it."

"And what, pray tell, is that evidence?" Weasley cut in, looking just as disbelieving as half of their audience.

"I have the evidence," Severus said slowly, "I have the evidence that Olivia Malfoy is indeed Lucius Malfoy's biological child."

The whole courtroom fell silent.

* * *

Next chapter: **The Great Victory**

The title pretty much says it all.


	24. The Great Victory

Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: Billions of thanks to Airiel for the incredibly fast beta! I didn't believe my eyes when I saw my e-mail...

Oh well... Better submitting this than sitting in the Physics exam... (And yes, **Haruka**, I did already do that exam, I'm not just skipping it!)

* * *

..Our little one. . 

Chapter Twenty-Four

The Great Victory

This chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

* * *

"As Mr. Lucius Malfoy is biologically Olivia Malfoy's father, there's no need for confirmation of the adoption," Severus's firm words echoed in the grave silent courtroom. "He demanding her guardianship, and it being legally given to him, like has happened in the primary adoption, is enough. And as Mr. Remus Malfoy is Mr. Lucius Malfoy's husband and lifemate, his part of the adoption will be automatically confirmed. Therefore, no trial shall take place, no accusations shall fall against Mr. and Mr. Malfoy, and the custody of Olivia Malfoy shall immediately be returned to them." 

For a moment everybody was still silent. Then, however, the judge shook her head as if to clear it. Glancing at everybody around, she then announced her decision. "The custody over Olivia Malfoy will stay with Mr. Lucius Malfoy and Mr. Remus Malfoy upon a simple juridical case. No further suspicions or disagreements shall ever befall them concerning this custody. This trial is over, this court will break, under the eye of Merlin has the decision been given in the case Malfoy and Malfoy versus Ministry of Magic."

In an instant Olivia rushed towards her parents, tears of joy shining in her eyes. Instead of rushing into their arms immediately, however, she stopped in front of Lucius, looking up at him with wide eyes. "So you..."

"Yes, it would appear as though I did," Lucius said with a bit sad smile. "I've done many wrong things during my years as a Death Eater, and none of those I am proud of. It does seem, however, that at least one of them has had some results that I can look at with pride." And with this, he drew the girl into his arms, embracing her warmly, like he was never going to let her go again. The hug was returned without hesitation.

A broad smile spread on Remus's face as he watched his husband pressing their daughter against his chest. Then he, too, stepped forward, and wrapped his arms around them both. For a moment, nobody spoke or did anything; everybody just stared in silence at the happy reunited family.

Then, however, Harry stood up and started clapping his hands. Soon most of the people in the courtroom were applauding. The Malfoys, however, did not seem to notice; they were too concentrated on each other. At last, however, they stepped apart, although Olivia still stayed near her fathers, as if afraid that somebody would come and again take her from them. Fortunately, no one did.

Weasley was collecting his papers and parchments, fuming, when three Aurors walked into the courtroom and to him. They all stood beside him, looking very serious. "Ronald Bilius Weasley?" one of the Aurors asked firmly, eyeing Weasley as if he'd been some trash on the street.

"I am," Weasley replied sharply, glancing up from his papers. "What's the matter?"

"You're now officially arrested," said another Auror. "You're accused of the attempted murder, life-threatening, semi-permanent crippling, and severe damaging of one Sirius Julian Black, a high-ranked Ministry personnel, a former Top Auror, and a guardian and father to the Boy Who Lived."

For a moment, Weasley just stared at him, his mouth hanging open. Then he saw something - or rather someone - in the doorway of the courtroom, and he cursed. Loudly.

"My, my, Weasley," Sirius said with a slight smile from his magical wheelchair. "You really shouldn't use that kind of language. There are young people present, you know - even your own children." He pointed at Hermione, Audrey, and Angelina, who were all sitting as far from the Malfoys as possible, staring at Weasley and the Aurors. Hermione didn't look too happy with her husband.

This voice, of course, made many of them look up. Olivia let out a shout of joy, and the other Malfoys and Harry all grinned broadly. Then, they all hurried towards Sirius, Severus ahead them all.

"Sirius!" Remus exclaimed, hugging his best friend tightly - well, as tightly as he could, considering that Sirius was indeed sitting in a wheelchair and thus not as easily reachable as usual. "You're here!"

"Why, of course I am," the Animagus said, grinning broadly. "Did you really think I'd be absent of your great victory?" Then, he winked at Severus. "Nice trick, love," he said. "I came in just in time to hear your little ending. That was truly something!" Glancing at Weasley, he added, "Although I'm quite proud of myself, too. Getting that rat into a trap was almost too easy, once I got into it."

"Is it true?" Harry asked quietly. "Did Weasley truly cause your accident?"

Sirius nodded grimly. "I saw him, just before he cast the charm that caused the so-called accident," he said. "The proofs are undeniable. My memory of the event was shown in a Pensieve to several Aurors, and I also gave my testimony under the effect of Veritaserum. There's no way he's going to get out of this easily, and definitely not without several years in Azkaban."

"How are you, love?" Severus asked then concernedly. "Are you really sure you shouldn't just rest?" There was something very rare in his eyes: worry. Severus Snape was never worried, or if he was, he never showed it. Now, however, everybody could well see the worry and concern in his obsidian eyes.

"Absolutely sure," Sirius replied with a wide grin. "The mediwitches in St. Mungo's said that if I want to get fully recovered before the end of the year, I should get to my feet as soon as possible. Even though you aren't letting me to walk on my own yet, I'm definitely not going to rot away in bed while you're celebrating the great victory!"

"I'm not letting you walk on your own because neither of your legs are capable of carrying you," the Slytherin pointed out coolly, but the undoubtedly warm tone in his voice was obvious to everyone present. "Besides, if you jump up to your feet now, you'll be nowhere but in your grave by the end of the year. I don't know exactly what they were telling to you, but your state is called 'semi-permanent crippling.' The worst cases are known to have taken decades to recover from!"

The discussion continued, everybody being happy and relieved that all things seemed to be clearing themselves out. Harry, however, was pulled aside by a hand on his arm. Turning around to see who had dragged him away from his family, he frowned. "Mrs. Weasley," he said coolly.

"Please, Harry, don't be like that," Hermione pleaded with a quiet tone. "I'm so sorry, you have to believe me. I let him control me, I didn't think for myself... I'd had bad experiences of my own in the past, real phobias, even but I should have known better than to shut you and the others out just because of your sexual preference. There are bastardous gays around there, true, but so are there just as bad straight men. Now I see just how far Ron was ready to go just to get his so-called revenge. I'm not even sure he did it because you are gay, it might be more because he thought Malfoy had taken you from us, from him."

"I understand, Hermione," Harry replied, just as quietly. He felt relieved. Seemingly there was still some of the old Hermione underneath all that coldness and nasty behaviour. "Once, I let myself be led to hating Slytherins, just because of the House they were Sorted into. Nowadays, I've gotten rid of that habit."

"One could truly say so," the witch said, smiling sadly, and eyeing the bunch of people some way from them. The Malfoys - all four of them - and the Blacks were now watching the two, all looking very careful. They were most probably worried about what she was saying. "Harry... Can you ever forgive me?"

"I do think so," the bespectacled wizard replied. "What are you going to do about - about Weasley?"

"I'll divorce him," she said with a bit sad tone. "No matter what he feels towards me, or what I feel towards him, I don't want to be married to a man who can try to murder an innocent man just because he wants to get revenge. That's why he did it, you know - he thought that with Sirius dead, Snape couldn't go through with the trial, and they'd lose Olivia. It was nothing about whether she could or could not live with them, it was all getting back to the Malfoys, and, through them, to you and your fiancé."

"He was very near causing the death of more than one person," Harry said gravely. "After Olivia's custody had again been taken from them, Remus tried to take his own life. Severus almost lost his sanity during it all, Merlin knows what he could have done to himself if he had, and Lucius would surely have committed suicide if Remus had died. So, as you see, it was not only Sirius's life at stake."

"'Sorry' is not enough," Hermione said, sighing yet again. "It can never be enough. I'm going to try to make up for my regrettable behaviour to you, though. After divorcing him, I'll cut all my ties to that family - except Bill, Charlie, and Percy, of course, if they're still willing to talk to me after everything I've done. It's going to be hard to win back the trust of people who are really worth it, but eventually, I hope I'll manage."

"I'm sure you can," Harry said, allowing himself to show her a small smile. "You're an extremely intelligent woman, Hermione. You'll have no problem with starting a new life. And I'll help you, too - you and the girls won't have to worry about what you are going to do without your husband."

"Thank you, Harry," she said, her smile wavering just a bit. Then, hesitating only a little, she took a step forward and hugged her friend tightly. After a second of stunned shock, Harry returned the gesture.

Angelina beamed up at her mother. "Does this mean I get to visit Olivia now?" the little girl said eagerly.

"Yes, my dear, it does," Hermione said with a little laugh. She bent down to pick up Audrey, then eyed both her daughters seriously. "It's not going to be easy to us, little ones," she said. "Not with your Dad leaving - he's not going to come back. Also, most of your uncles and grandparents will probably refuse to keep any contact anymore. But I think that in exchange, we'll get a whole new family - will we?" she asked then, eyeing Harry warily.

Without a second of hesitation, Harry let his heart be wholly filled with forgiveness, spreading his arms. "Welcome to the family, Hermione, girls," he said, grinning slightly. "Welcome to the Malfoy clan."

* * *

"Well, do you like your new home?" Lucius asked with a slight smile. 

"I love it," Hermione sighed. "Thank you so very much, Mr. Malfoy!"

"I've said this a thousand times, call me Lucius," the blond man said. "You have made Harry happy, which has made Draco happy. And whatever makes my family happy does the same for me. Let's just forget all those years, okay? They're not worth remembering."

"I'm more than willing to do that," the witch replied, eyeing around in the kitchen of the new house Lucius had helped her buy. "But you all seem oddly forgiving. How can you just look past all those years of coldness and hatred? I know that I hurt Harry very badly."

"We've all made horrible mistakes, and for worse reasons," the wizard replied gloomily. "I've done them most of all. If the others can look past my errors, I see no reason why I couldn't do the same."

"Mommy!" a happy voice called from behind them. "Mommy, look at what Olivia gave to me!" As they turned around, they saw Angelina running to the room, hugging tightly a huge stuffed unicorn.

"Really?" Hermione looked a bit startled. She then saw Audrey coming in with a teddy bear that was larger than the girl herself, and her eyes widened. "But - we can't -"

"Oh, shut up, Hermione," Harry laughed from behind the little girls. "Everybody's always spoiling Olivia rotten as she's the youngest in the family. She just enjoys doing the same to somebody else."

"Exactly!" said the girl's happy voice from the doorway. She was standing there with Ssaratha on her shoulder. The saroth was watching the little children curiously. On her other side stood Malcolm, who looked just as calm and collected as only a Snape could, but who was, as a very rare sight, smiling slightly. And as they'd walked into the kitchen, Remus and Draco immediately followed. Remus had his own saroth with him - he'd named him Sarlion.

"Oh, and by the way, Father," Olivia then continued with a teasing tone, "I just came across something interesting as I looked our family up from the wizarding records." As Lucius just raised his eyebrow questioningly, the girl continued, "To be exact, somebody's turned fifty and we didn't even notice!"

"You're right!" exclaimed Remus, looking surprised. "We've totally forgotten Lucius's birthday!"

"I had quite hoped you would just ignore it," murmured Lucius. Of course, this made everybody laugh.

* * *

Olivia smiled slightly. It was a frosty evening, and she was walking in the garden of the Manor. Remus, Harry, and Draco had decided to arrange a belated birthday party for Lucius, one that would be on the following day. They were currently busy decorating, Sirius helping wherever he could, while Lucius had been firmly prohibited from even entering the ballroom, and Severus was keeping him company. Seeing that Remus, who'd taken the main responsibility, had certainly enough helpers, Olivia had decided to take a walk outside instead. Even though she'd spent quite some time at the Manor, she knew very little about the grounds surrounding it, even the garden. 

As she walked through a tiny forest, she was surprised. There was a row of swings hung on a strong branch of a large tree. Curious, she walked to the one swing nearest to her.

Something was written on the board of the swing. A slight smile curled her lips as she read, "Lucius". Somehow, the thought of her father sitting on the swing wasn't even half as ridiculous as it could have been.

Moving on to the next swing, she read, "Luciane." She had to swallow to get rid of the lump in her throat. Well, this swing was at least long abandoned.

"Draco," read the next one, making her again smile at the thought of her half-brother's hair ever being muzzled by wing and his knees being dirtied by a fall from the swing. The smile vanished as she read the next ones. "Philip," read one, and "Joyce," the last one. These hadn't been left empty by choice.

Sighing, Olivia walked back to Lucius's one, and sat down. Closing her eyes, she pushed herself off the ground, starting lazily swinging.

And suddenly, she Saw something.

* * *

A little boy, hardly even five, was swinging back and forth on the swing. His long, blond hair was whirling in the air around his head like a halo, his laughter echoing from the nearby trees. An equally blonde woman, in her mid-twenties by her looks, was pushing him going again and again, a little, giggling girl holding onto the hem of her expensive silk robe. 

"More! More speed, Mom!" shouted the boy, his face glowing with joy and delight.

"Don't fall, Lucius," said the woman mock-sternly, but pushed him with more speed.

Suddenly, a brown-haired man appeared to the edge of the forest.

"Melinda!" he shouted, sounding irritated to find the woman there.

"Melinda, come here at once!"

The smile on the woman's face faded away. "Take care of Luciane,

Lucius," she said, and then turned around. "I'm coming, Lucipher!" she shouted in reply to the man, and started to walk away.

Lucius put his feet on the ground, his swinging coming to a halt. For a moment, he just sat there, his expression full of sadness. It was obvious that he didn't want his mother to go.

Then, he seemed to cheer up. "Wanna swing, Luciane?" he asked, reaching out his hands to the little girl.

"Yes!" giggled the girl, running to her big brother's embrace.

Little Lucius pushed them both off the ground. They started swinging, their platinum hair mixing in a whirl in the air, their giggles joining the birds' singing in the little forest.

* * *

Olivia gasped in surprise as the memory faded away. She wasn't swinging anymore; she just sat on the cold, snowy ground at the place where the swing used to be. Used to be, for it was nowhere to be seen anymore. The other four swings were slowly going back and forth in the slight wind. 

Determinedly Olivia got off the ground and sat on Luciane's swing. A little push, and she was off the ground again, and in another memory.

* * *

A girl pushed herself off the ground with a stubborn look on her face. Swinging back and forth, she collected more speed, until her hair just flowed around her head in the air, hiding her face from sight. 

"Don't take so much speed, Ane," coolly advised the boy who was leaning against the tree. A Malfoy-green robe, a silver belt, and long, blond hair flowing to his shoulders. Young Lucius Malfoy. "You'll fall."

"I take as much speed as I please!" snapped the girl back. "And for the umpteenth time, my name's Luciane! L-u-c-i-a-n-e! Not Ane!"

Shaking his head, Lucius said lowly, "That'll only end badly."

Like his words had been some kind of a sign, the girl's grip on the ropes faltered. With a scream, she fell to the ground.

Now, Lucius's coolness was all wiped off. "Did you hurt yourself, Luciane?" he asked with a worried tone, stepping towards his sister.

The girl looked up at him, her equally silver eyes as full of fury as the boy's were full of concern. "I don't need your help," she said sharply. "Go away."

And Lucius, he did turn around, but not quickly enough to hide the clearly hurt expression on his face.

* * *

And again, Olivia was on the ground, her head spinning. Luciane's swing had disappeared, just like she'd expected. 

At the moment, she hated Luciane Malfoy more than anything, for she knew that the little sister's coldness had been the first step towards Lucius's own, emotionless mask.

Sighing, she stood, and walked over to Draco's swing.

* * *

A blond boy swung back and forth, kicking speed from the ground every now and then. He seemed to be about eight years old, with his platinum hair whirling around his head and in front of his silver eyes. There was nobody else near, or if there was, Olivia didn't see anyone. 

Then, a figure parted from the shadow of the trees. A woman, looking startlingly similar to the boy, neared him. She was wearing a robe of exactly the same green hue as the trousers they boy had on, and her platinum blonde hair fell down to her mid-back. As she was almost next to the boy, she whirled her hair over her shoulder with elegance that told of a wealthy family and aristocratic up bringing.

"Ah, little Draco," she said with a mock-pleasant smile that never quite reached her eyes. "I was wondering where you were. Dear Narcissa said you were here in the garden but I couldn't find you at first."

The boy, who'd slowed his swinging little by little while she'd approached him, stopped the swing completely and looked up at her with equally cool eyes. It was evident that he didn't like the woman.

"Aunt Luciane," he said with a cold, expressionless tone that only very few people mastered in his age and none should. "I'd been told you would come, but I didn't really expect you to show up."

"And why'd that be?" she asked, her smile still just as pleasant, but with a dangerous edge in her voice that told the boy to be ware of his words.

"Because I thought you'd be too caught up with your new husband,

Aunt," he replied, instantly giving up a bit of the defiance in his attitude but his cold eyes staying the same. "I meant no offense to you."

"Of course you didn't, Draco," she replied, her smile even sweeter and her eyes even sharper. "Why would you ever want to insult me? Such a polite boy you are, wouldn't have thought Lucius could produce anything like you."

"And what does that mean?" asked a cool voice behind her. The two people turned to look at the direction, as did Olivia. They all saw Lucius, standing in exactly the same place where Luciane had come from, in all his green-and-silver Malfoy-ish glory, firmly gripping on his cane.

"Just that you weren't always the most fine-mannered person around when we were little. Of course, that has nothing to do with the way you are nowadays," she added with her overly sweet tone. "Have I yet thanked you for inviting me and Phineas over, Lucy dear?"

The boy looked as if he'd wanted to snicker at the name, but he kept his cool mask firmly on place. Lucius, however, merely raised an eyebrow, and when he spoke, he made no mention about the name. "Of course I invited you," he replied, with no sweetness in his tone, but the politeness just as false as his sister's endearments. "What kind of a brother would I be if I didn't want to check what kind of a man my dear sister is married to?"

"A horrible one, on that you're true," she replied. Then, her expression turned from overly sweet to sly. "Why're you letting little Draco wander around here alone, anyway? It's not safe, you know, for the last heir of the Malfoy line to go around guard-less." The threat was clearly audible in her voice. Even Draco caught it, his eyes widening slightly as he watched his aunt.

"I assure you, Draco is perfectly safe here, in the garden," Lucius replied coolly. "After all, who else but a Malfoy could break the wards around the Manor without Narcissa and I knowing about it instantly?"

"Who indeed," she said, her eyes flickering for a moment between the son and the father. Then she said, "A swing, Lucius? Isn't that a bit too childish for him?"

"We had swings, too, if I may remind," the wizard said. He'd been slowly walking nearer during their conversation, and was now standing next to his sister and son, his tall form towering above both.

"Yes, but we were just kids back then, Lucy," she argued. "He's seven, Lucius, soon eight! It's not appropriate for the future Lord of Malfoy to swing at his age!"

"I believe it's none of your business what my son does at which age," he replied, his voice now clearly containing a sharp, freezing cold edge. "I'm the one responsible of his up-bringing, not you."

"And I hope that you'll manage with your task," she said with a cruel smile. "It'd be such a pity if he ended up in, say, Gryffindor. Or even Hufflepuff," she added with a voice that clearly told she thought that to be the lowest of low. As well as the boy's most probable House, of course.

"I'd rather have him be a proper Hufflepuff than the shame of Slytherin," Lucius said coldly, and from the flash of an angry sneer on the witch's face Olivia saw that he had struck a nerve. She must ask her parents about that later, she decided. In the meantime, however, she just watched.

"Very well," Luciane snapped after a moment of pressuring silence. "Take good care of your precious son, Lucius. It'd be such a pity if something happened. He's not safe as you think." And with that, she turned stiffly on her heels and stormed away.

For a moment, both Malfoy men just looked after her. Then Lucius turned towards his son, his expression grave serious. "Draco, you are not to go outside the Manor - not even to the garden - without me or your mother with you. Severus or Lilian may also escort you, but without one of the four of us, you aren't to go anywhere outside, no matter who is with you. And especially not if my sister or her husband are with you. Luciane was right, you aren't safe. Not anymore."

"She wouldn't hurt me, though... Would she?" asked Draco quietly.

"I fear that yes, she very probably would, given the opportunity," said Lucius gravely. "You must not talk about it with anybody, though. Nobody but your mother, her family and I are safe."

For a long moment, neither of them said anything.

"So it's Lucy, eh?" asked Draco then, breaking the silence. A broad grin spread on his face. "Wait till Mum hears about that!"

Lucius merely laughed slightly and shook his head, clearly amused at this. Then, as Draco asked him to push him to give him some speed, he obeyed instantly.

Their laughter echoed in the garden for a long time after that, their eyes shining with delight and their hair with the warm rays of sunlight that were cast upon them.

* * *

As soon as she had sat on Joyce's swing, Olivia was again in a vision. As she glanced around, she saw both Lucius and Remus there. Joyce and Philip were both swinging, and they all looked happy. 

Then, however, Joyce stopped her swing. "Where Unca Sev?" she asked.

In an instant, Remus's expression turned sad, and Lucius also seemed very upset. "Uncle Severus is seeing Uncle Sirius, Joyce," replied Lucius, forcing himself to smile at the little girl.

Now, however, Philip also stopped swinging. "When will we see Uncle Siri, too?" he asked innocently.

"You'll see him when the bad men let him go, Philip," Remus replied softly. "Before Christmas, I promise."

"Yay!" Philip immediately continued swinging, and after a moment, Joyce also started to demand more speed from their guardians. However, even though the children soon were happy again, the two wizards stayed thoughtful and secretly sad for still some time to come.

* * *

Olivia's head was aching when she got up from the ground, where she'd once again fallen to. Glancing around, he saw that Philip's swing had disappeared as well. Her eyes reached the only swing that remained now. On the board she saw only one word, written with finely carved letters. "Olivia," it read. 

Olivia felt almost scared of sitting on the swing. All the memories she had seen had been, in one way or another, bittersweet. It was as though should she try to make her own memories of the swings, something bad would happen immediately. Of course she knew that wasn't very probably going to happen, but she still couldn't abandon the feeling. Shivering a bit, she turned away, and then walked towards the Manor.

* * *

"Ah, there you are, Olivia," Lucius said as he saw his daughter entering the room where he and Severus were drinking tea. Olivia still had her winter cloak on, and she was wiping the last remains of snow from the fur on the edge of the cloak's hood. "Where have you been?" 

"I was just walking in the garden," the girl replied. "I found the swings there."

Lucius raised his eyebrow. "There's only one swing in the garden," he said. "Well, at times there have been two, but at the moment, there's only one. Do you mean you really saw more?"

"Yes, I did," Olivia replied, nodding. "There were your swing and Luciane's, and Draco's, and Philip's and Joyce's. Whenever I sat on one, I would have a vision, and when the vision faded, the swing had disappeared. When I'd sat on every one, there was a new swing - one that had my name on it."

"And did you sit on it?" asked Severus, raising his eyebrow.

The girl smiled a bit. "To be honest, I didn't dare to," she replied. "I was afraid that something would happen. Every vision I had was somehow... well, somehow sad."

"What was the vision you had from my swing, then?" Lucius asked curiously from his daughter.

Olivia drew a deep breath. "You were swinging, you and Luciane," she said. "You couldn't have been more than five years old. Your mother was there; at least you called her Mom. But then, a man came to the edge of the forest - I guess he was your father - came and called her away. She didn't look like she wanted to go, but she went anyway. And you looked pretty sad when she left."

Now, the blond man sighed. "Yes, that was my mother," he replied, "and my father, too. My mother was a Malfoy, although a lot kinder than most of our ancestors. To her great misfortune, she had to marry Lucipher MacNair. Lucipher, of course, took the Malfoy name, but aside from this, my mother had no say in anything. My father - though I hate calling him that - beat her and tortured her, making her obey his every little whim, and whenever somebody else was around, he hid everything he'd done. As for Luciane and I, well, he didn't care much about either of us. Luciane took after him, which later made him pay her some attention, and I concentrated on my potions - mother was also a Potions Mistress, I wanted to make her happy. However, I couldn't save her. One day, she got enough of Lucipher's torment." After a moment of silence, he finished, "Mother drowned herself in the smaller lake in the garden."

For a moment, they were all quiet. Then Severus asked to break the silence, "What about Draco?"

"Well, he was swinging there, he was about eight," Olivia said, obviously just as relieved about the change of topic as the two wizards. "Then Luciane came there and gave him a couple of veiled threats, until you came and saved him." She nodded towards her father as she said the last part.

"I remember that incident very well," Lucius said calmly. "It was the third of July 1988, and I'd invited Luciane and her good-for-nothing husband for a visit. I don't remember much about their visit, only that quarrel and the odd feeling I had all the day."

"Well, of course you had an odd feeling," chuckled Severus, calmly taking a sip of his tea. "It would have been a miracle if you hadn't. You do realize that Olivia was born that day, don't you?" He smirked.

The blonde's eyes widened a bit. "Merlin," he muttered. "No, I didn't realize that until now." Then he glanced at his best friend. "And on the topic of Olivia... Severus, do you think there's any way you and Sirius could be Olivia's Godfathers?" he asked from the other Slytherin.

Now, Severus lowered his cup a bit. "I think I speak for us both when I say that we'd be honoured," he said quietly. "Are you going to change her name, anyway?"

"I'm still present," Olivia pointed out, although she did not sound too annoyed. "And no, at the moment they are thinking about keeping my name as it is. It's not yet a final, though."

"In fact, we said that she can decide herself whether she wants a new name or not," Lucius said. "And she said that she couldn't decide yet." With a glance at Olivia, he asked, "Well, can you decide now?"

"In fact," Olivia said, "I do have an idea." Then, noticing that both men were trying very hard not to look curious, she added mischievously, "But I will not tell anybody but Dad until tomorrow."

"Come on, Olivia," Severus said, raising an eyebrow. "You can tell your Godfather, can't you?"

"You're not my Godfather yet," Olivia said. "So, forgive me, but I have to get going!" And with that and a bright smile, she left the room to search for Remus.

As soon as she was out of hearing, Severus turned towards Lucius. "It's true. She's really your daughter."

Lucius merely threw him a glare.

* * *

Next: **Epilogue**

Lucius's belated birthday party, and a happy end to this story.


	25. Our Little One

Disclaimer: I own very little.

A/N: Well, well. Now _Our Little One_ is coming to its (un-betaed) end. I thank you all for carrying along, and welcome you to wait for the sequel, _Fearn't Ever Further_, which will begin as soon as I get the first chap back from **Airiel**, my lovely beta.

* * *

..Our little one. . 

Epilogue

Our Little One

* * *

This chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

* * *

Lucius looked thoughtfully down at his glass of wine. The wine was about perfect, something that only a few people in the whole Wizarding population of United Kingdom could ever afford. Of course, it was also the only one he'd accepted to be served in his belated birthday party. "So I am fifty years old now," he said quietly, raising the glass then to his lips and taking a tiny sip. "I have left half a century behind me." 

"And what fifty years those have been," Remus said, a slight smirk playing on his lips. Then he walked nearer to his husband, wrapping his arm around Lucius's waist. "Any regrets, love?"

"Well..." Lucius raised his eyebrow, then turned his head to kiss the top of the werewolf's head. "None."

"None?" echoed Remus disbelievingly. "You're not serious. You cannot be."

"Well, I'm not entirely without regrets, on that you're right," admitted Lucius. "I do regret not marrying you right out of school and taking Narcissa instead. I do regret following in my father's footsteps, and letting my mother do... what she did, being too interested in potions to ever pay another thought to what was happening to her. More than anything, I regret taking the Dark Mark." At this, his fingers subconsciously traced the outlines of the ugly mark on his left arm through the sleeve of his robe. "But then again, I can't hope any of those becoming completely undone. Without Narcissa, I wouldn't have Draco. Without the Dark Mark, we wouldn't have Olivia. And without my potions... I wouldn't have you."

Remus smiled gently up at him. "Would that necessarily be such a bad thing?" he asked teasingly.

"Yes, it would," replied Lucius seriously. "You are my life, Remus, and you know it perfectly well."

"Well, I've suspected something like that," the werewolf said. "It's just nice to hear it from you personally."

"You've heard it often enough, I should think," Lucius said with a small chuckle. "Or if you haven't, then I do have a regret. I regret not telling you that more often." Again, he kissed the top of Remus's head.

"Well, are you happy, then?" asked Remus, giving his husband a small smile. "I guess you are."

"How could I not be happy?" asked Lucius rather seriously. "I do, after all, have a respectable position, wealth and health, loyal friends, a son to be proud of, and the best possible husband anybody could ever get." Then he added, "And now, of course, also an adorable daughter."

They both glanced at Olivia. The girl was currently laughing at something Malcolm had said, seated between Harry and Draco on a couch that had been brought there especially for this party and that had hardly enough room for them all. She didn't seem to mind the fact that she was tightly pressed between two men, though; instead, she just laughed some more and then asked something. Malcolm answered to her, a slight smirk on his lips, and then they all laughed again.

Just then, Audrey came running on her tiny feet. "Oliv!" she exclaimed. "Oliv, I have fwiendz!" After her came Daniel and Maria Narcair, Angelina bringing up the end of the line.

"Really, sweetie?" Olivia smiled warmly, pulling the girl up into her lap. "That's great."

"We are having fun!" announced Maria. "We play with Angie and Audrey!" She pointed at the two Weasley children, who both nodded their curly, redhaired heads frantically.

"That's nice, kids," said Draco. "But would you mind letting Malcolm come through?" While saying this, he stood up from the couch. Offering his hand to his fiancé, he said, with a bit of mischief in his silver eyes, "Come on, Harry. Let's go get some wine while the children are playing here."

"Hey!" exclaimed Olivia, slapping her halfbrother's arm in protest. Harry and Draco just laughed, starting to walk towards Lucius and Remus. Malcolm laughed too, then walked through the group of children and sat on the couch next to Olivia. In an instant, the four children were all crawling all over them, giggling.

"They would make a good couple," Draco said mischievously as he came near enough to his father and stepfather to talk with them without his halfsister hearing. "Don't you agree?"

"Draco!" scolded Lucius, frowning at him. "You should know better than well not to even talk about that!"

"Calm down, Lucius," Remus said, rolling his eyes. "Draco's just fooling around, and you know it."

Lucius raised his eyebrows in half serious question. "I do?" he asked.

"Yes, you do," Remus said with a huff. "And Draco knows it, too. Don't you, Draco?" he then asked, sending his stepson a glare that crealry told of his fate if he dared to disagree.

"Of course I know that," Draco said hurriedly. "Olivia'd just get scared if we tried to pair her up with anybody. I'd never suggest anything like that." He tried to look innocent and, of course, failed miserably.

"Give it up, Draco," advised a dry voice behind them. Turning around, they saw Severus standing there, looking rather amused. "You wouldn't be able to look innocent even if your life was at stake."

"A rather good observation of my dear fiancé," laughed Harry. That earned him a sharp glare from Draco.

"So, Remus and Lucius," Severus started, then stopped to take a sip from the glass of wine in his hand. "Excellent, this wine... So, anyway. What have you decided to name Olivia?"

It was like his voice had been strengthened to make it carry all over the hall. Thomas and Sirius stopped their conversation and turned to look at them, as well as Narcissa and Hermione, who'd been having a conversation of their own about the children. Olivia smiled slightly, while Malcolm tried hard not to look too interested. Even the children, who had by now returned to their usual running around, stopped to listen.

Well aware of the numerous curious gazes shot to his and his husband's direction, Lucius smirked. "It is up to Remus to make that announcement," he said. "He hasn't told me yet."

"Very well." Remus eyed their friends and family. "Like some of you know already and some don't, when a primary adoption has been confirmed, the adoptive parents get some special rights. This is also true in our case. The most important ones are the right to name godparents for the child and to change the child's name." After giving Olivia a quick glance and receiving a smile in return, he continued, "Nobody's probably surprised to hear that her godparents are now officially Sirius and Severus Black. And as for the name, well..." With a slight smile, he finished, "I and Olivia have decided without asking from Lucius, I admit immediately that her name's going to be Olivia Amber _Melinda_ Malfoy."

Now, everybody fell silent, turning to look at Lucius. The blond man at first just stared at his husband. Then he drew Remus into a gentle embrace. "Thank you," he said, as much to Remus as to Olivia, to whom he was looking at over the werewolf's head. "I thank you both. I couldn't imagine a better birthday present."

"Really?" asked Remus. He pretended to pout, although the smile that tugged at the flips very much spoiled the effect. "And here I was thinking that I was your best gift."

Lucius raised an eyebrow and smirked. "I rather think of you as a wedding gift," he said teasingly.

They all laughed, the slight tension that had arrived at the mention of Lucius's late mother's name immediately leaving them. Remus huffed and glared at his taller husband, then immediately melted and rose to his tiptoes, planting a gentle kiss on the blond's lips, taking full advantage of the downturned position of Lucius's face. Chuckling, Lucius lifted Remus up into his arms and returned the kiss, easily swinging the slender man around in the air, as everybody else just laughed again.

"Aww," Olivia breathed, smiling even more brightly than anybody else. "They are so happy."

"Of course they are," Malcolm replied calmly. "After all, they no more have any fear of losing you."

Olivia gave him a smile and was just about to respond when somebody spoke up behind the couch. "You're both right. They are really happy, and they do not have to worry about losing their daughter."

Not recognizing the voice, Olivia immediately turned around to see this stranger. She was met by twinkling blue eyes and a bright smile, all this belonging to a very old wizard with an incredibly long, white beard. Behind him she could see standing a vaguely familiar-looking witch with a rather stern expression. After a moment she recognized the witch as Minerva McGonagall, who had firecalled the Manor earlier.

"I'm sorry," she said to the old wizard, "but I do not think I know you." Although she truly did not know him, there was something in him that made her immediately trust him. She just couldn't help it.

"Well, then I believe some introductions are in order," the old wizard chuckled. "Malcolm, could you...?"

"Very well," the young wizard said, rolling his eyes towards the ceiling, but not looking too annoyed. "This is Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts."

"Oh!" The young Ciddle looked very surprised. "I'm honoured to meet you, Headmaster Dumbledore."

"Why, such formalities, my dear girl," Dumbledore said, smiling brightly. "Please, just call me Albus."

"Albus?" Now, the adults also seemed to have noticed who had appeared. Only Lucius didn't look too surprised; as the Master of the Manor, he had of course known of their arrival as soon as they had entered the building. In an instant, the couch and the sudden guests near it were surrounded by people.

"How came you high creatures grace us mere mortals with your presence?" asked Sirius, feigning amazement. "What have we done to deserve such a wonderful honour?"

"Ever the same, Sirius, I see," McGonagall said, allowing a tiny smile curl her lips. "Albus merely wanted to see for himself this new Malfoy heir everybody seems to know so much about."

"Of course, I also wanted to congratulate you, Lucius," the Headmaster said cheerfully. "It is about the time you leave your time of childhood behind and move forward!"

"Time of childhood?" echoed Lucius, raising an eyebrow. "Albus, I have just turned fifty."

"Exactly my point, my dear boy. Exactly my point." Now turning towards Olivia, the ancient wizard said, "Oh, and young Miss Malfoy! You truly do resemble your father." After examining her for a moment longer which made her look a bit uncomfortable he suddenly snapped his fingers. "Ah! That was just what I had to remember." Reaching a hand into his pocket, he added, "I wanted to give you this."

"Err.. Thanks," Olivia said, even more nervous now that everybody's attention was at her. "But what is this, exactly? It looks rather like a potions bag, but I won't be allowed to have one for a long time yet."

"It is indeed a potions bag," the old Headmaster replied cheerfully. "It belonged to my great-grand-aunt a wonderful woman, she was, but never got far enough to have a true one. So, this is the limited version of the actual bag. It'll only hold a certain amount of phials, and other people can also draw the concoctions out of it. Your father used to have it when he was a student, as well as dear Severus here." He glanced at the two Potions Masters, who both nodded in response. "I just thought you could have it until you have passed your seventh test, as I sadly have no talents for Potions whatsoever, and there's no student with such a devotion for Potions at the school nowadays." Somebody cleared their throat, and Dumbledore glanced at him. "Well, of course except for young Mister Snape here, who, I believe, has created his own ways to carry potions around and who, I am afraid, should soon return to the school."

"Well, we certainly won't miss him." While saying this, Olivia gave her friend a grin that clearly told the very opposite thing. Malcolm responded with a dry smirk. Then, the young Ciddle looked up at the Headmaster. "I thank you for this bag," she said. "I can assure you, it will be of use."

And, as they all watched curiously, she then began to slip her fingers into her pockets, as well as into the various bags that she'd tied onto her belt. One by one, seemingly countless phials were put into the bag.

"Just what on Earth do you need all those for?" asked Harry at last, unable to keep his curiousity down. "And here I was thinking that Lucius and Severus were bad with their potions!"

The girl gave her future halfbrother-in-law a halfhearted glare. "I can assure you, if my dear Father and Godfather were to empty their own potions bags right now, they'd still be digging out phials tomorrow night," she said rather truthfully. "And my potions are for use. There's of course some Calming Potion, Blocking Potion, Brew of Dreams, and some mild sleeping draughts," she said, pointing at one pile of phials and tiny bottles that hadn't yet been put to the bag. "Then there are painkillers, healing potions and some salves for cuts and burns. Then comes Levitation Liquid for lifting things, Washful Liquid for cleaning up, all those. Then there's the Riddiculus Potion if I ever come across a boggart, and, of course..." With a tiny, sad smile, she lifted one phial from a small pile only consisting of silvery phials. "The Patronus Potion."

For a moment, everybody stayed silent. Then Dumbledore spoke up. "Could we maybe see your Patronus?" he asked. "I'm sure it would be an interesting sight."

"Very well," replied Olivia. "I have to admit that it is fascinating once you get past the first appearance and realize who it really represents." At this, she smiled at her fathers and Severus, who all smiled back.

Then, she threw the phial in her hand to the ground. In an instant, a silvery mist rose to air, starting to take a recognizable form. Sharp gasps escaped almost everybody's lips when the form was ready.

The silvery skull floated slowly through the air, the jaw snapping up and down. The snake hissed and slithered around, still all the time staying intertwined with the skull. They watched with morbid fascination as the Patronus neared Olivia. The children, however, whimpered and hid behind their mothers.

And then, the skull was just in front of the young Ciddle. She raised a hand and touched its surface, to her great surprise noticing that it was almost solid. Then, however, the Patronus vanished into thin air.

"Well, that truly was interesting," Sirius said finally, determined to break the pressuring silence, "but what about getting to the edible part of this party already? Surely there is something to eat, right?"

Remus chuckled, relieved at the new shift in the atmosphere. "Always thinking with your stomach, Padfoot, I see," he said teasingly. The Grim Animagus didn't make any further comments, but he did grin broadly.

And so, the party continued with the house-elves bringing forth the food, with two more guests present.

* * *

Angelina, who had made the mistake of climbing into Sirius's lap, withered helplessly in her capturer's grip. The little girl was shaking with laughter as the Grim Animagus tickled her mercilessly. At last, however, when she was just gasping breathlessly, too exhausted to even laugh, she was released. With one last giggle, she ran back to play with the other children. 

Sirius watched her as she ran, a small, almost sad smile on his lips. For a moment he just sat there in his wheelchair, deep in thought. Then, however, he was startled by a dark form settling next to him, the intruder's elbow resting on the arm of the chair. Looking down, he saw Severus.

"You want a child," Severus said, looking at him seriously. It was clearly not a question, just a statement.

Sirius sighed. "Yes, I do," he replied quietly. Glancing now at his husband, who was kneeling next to him, he grasped the one of Severus's hands that rested on the arm of the wheelchair. Intertwining his fingers with the Slytherin's, he added then, "It doesn't really matter, though."

"Of course it matters." Severus's eyes flickered momentarily to the playing children, then back at Sirius. "I I'm not ready for that yet," he said quietly. "But with time... Hopefully, I will be."

Sirius gave him a warm smile, then raised the pale, slender hand up to his lips for a quick peck. "I would never ask for anything else," he said affectionately.

Severus merely gave him a brief smile. For a long time, neither said a word.

* * *

Finally, after a long time of talking and eating and laughing and drinking and mostly only on the children's part, though running, night started to fall upon them. After Dumbledore and McGonagall had left, Hermione was the next one to leave with her daughters. Then the Narcairs left as Daniel fell asleep in his mother's lap. Harry and Draco left next, as Harry had to be in a practice early in the morning the following day. Lilian allowed Malcolm to stay at the Manor until the next day, when he would have to leave for school and part from Olivia until the holidays. After her Severus and Sirius stayed still for some time, talking with the Malfoys and Malcolm, but then they, too, started to leave. 

"Come on," Lucius said then to his husband, daughter, and the said daughter's best friend. "Let's let the house-elves get to their work." So, they left the room, heading to the direction of the part of the Manor that was mostly used for sleeping. After seeing Malcolm to the guest room where he'd been sleeping whenever he wasn't at his home, they continued towards their own bedrooms.

After parting from her fathers, Olivia walked to her own bedroom. Thoroughly exhausted, she quickly discarded her robes and dress, then put on her favourite nightshirt blue silk with silver linings. Then, after putting her jewelry into the jewelry box, she went to bed, slipping under the covers.

Before she fell asleep, however, she heard as the door was quietly opened. In the dim light of the corridor she could see her both fathers standing in the doorway, looking at her. Then her ears caught the sound of Remus quietly murmuring, "Good night, our little one."

Those words made a warm feeling fill her, ensuring a good long night's sleep to her. She heard her saroth pawing on the pillow, then curling on her side next to her head. The little creature's quiet breathing lulled her to sleep as the words of her lycanthropic guardian still rolled around in her mind.

_"Our little one."_

_

* * *

_ A/N:

So, _Fearn't Ever Further_ will get rolling as soon as I get the first chap back from Airiel. It will feature:

o Lots of werewolves

o More problems to practically everyone (just 'cause I'm evil)

o Severus and Sirius finally getting a baby of their own

o Hogwarts professors (lots of them)

o Olivia/Malcolm

And, while waiting for that, I'd like to say some thank-yous. So, for _Our Little One_, I thank:

**Prongs1**, whose stories _A Bittersweet Dream_ and _Bittersweet Reality_ first got me addicted to Remus/Lucius

My wonderful betas, **Airiel** and **Lyssepoo**

**Minna**, who has shown me that real people truly read my fic, not just names on the screen

**Oscu**, who has proved that even a male can enjoy shopping and not be a woman

And, of course, **everyone who ever reviewed**. You guys have made me pull this through. THANK YOU!

(Also, if I forgot somebody important, I apologize and thank you, too.)


End file.
